


Search for the Darkstar

by savvyliterate



Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-06
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-25 19:00:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 137,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/956565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvyliterate/pseuds/savvyliterate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Those who follow Ceiphied and those who follow Shabranigdu race to find the five weapons of Darkstar. One side wants a war. The other wants to save the world and Lina and her friends aren't sure who the enemy really is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At Night, When Evil Spirits Appear

**Author's Note:**

> Introduction: "Slayers" is one of those series where there exists several parallel universes, such as those you'll find in many DC and Marvel comic series. "Slayers" is available in three separate formats: anime, manga and novels. A fourth parallel universe is the one established by the video games, but for this introduction, I'll just focus on the main three.
> 
> The novels ran from 1989-2000. The anime aired from 1995-1997, with movies being released until 2001. The manga started with one volume of short stories that was released in 1995. Then, the 8-volume "Super-Explosive Demon Story" that covered the original series and NEXT was published starting in 1995 and ending in 2001. The 1-volume "Slayers Premium" was published in July 2002. Around the same time, a new full-length Slayers manga series, "Slayers: Knight of Aqualord," began its run. "Aqualord" finished in January 2005.
> 
> In all three mediums, the story runs pretty parallel for the events that cover "Slayers" and "Slayers NEXT." After the defeat of Hellmaster Phibrizzo, the series divides into three parallel universes. The anime "Slayers TRY" involves the journey to the lands beyond the Mazoku barrier and the search for the five weapons of Darkstar in an effort to prevent Darkstar from being reborn into the Slayers' dimension and largely centers around the new characters of Filia, Valgaav and events that happened between the golden and ancient dragons during the War of the Mazoku's Fall (or Kouma Sensou.) In this series, Gourry has the Sword of Light and Lina still has her Demon's Blood tailsmen and the ability to use the Giga Slave. Amelia, Zelgadiss and Xelloss are also in this series.
> 
> Novels 9-15 make up the second parallel universe. Lina and Gourry set off on a journey to find Gourry a new sword to replace the Sword of Light. They are no longer traveling with Amelia and Zelgadiss. Their traveling partners here are a treasure hunting couple named Luke and Millina. Gourry gets ahold of a magic sword and he and Lina are drawn into a battle against Dynast Grausherra. During this battle Gourry's blade shatters, revealing another blade inside it - the legendary super-sharp Blast Sword. Lina damages Dynast to the point where he retreats to the Astral plane to heal. Lina and Gourry fight the third resurrected piece of Shabranigdu, which is inside of their friend, Luke. At the end of the novel series, Gourry suggests that he and Lina go visit her family in Zefielia. Lina thinks Gourry is proposing to her, but he insists it's just because grapes are in season and Zefielia's known for them. Lina loses her Demon's Blood tailsmen in the fight against the third resurrected piece of Shabranigdu. Milgazia, the golden dragon who aided Lina in reaching the true Claire Bible in NEXT, appears in several books - along with his apprentice, an elf named Memphis. Xelloss comes back for a final appearance in the last novel - along with Deep Sea Dolphin and Greater Beast Xelas Metallium.
> 
> The final parallel universe is the manga, "Knight of Aqualord." After the fight against Phibrizzo, Lina and Gourry get separated during a battle at sea and Lina wakes up in a strange land that is beyond the Mazoku barrier. Unable to use her black magic, she's aided by a boy named Lyos, who claims he is the Knight of Aqualord. Lina asks Lyos to take her to the closest big city. On the way they, Lina is reunited with Gourry. They reach the shrine to Aqualord and are slowed down by an illusionist named Shizuri. But who comes to their aid? Amelia! Amelia is on a diplomatic mission from Saillune, but winds up being stranded when her ships are destroyed thanks to her association with Lina. Shizuri joins the group as well, as they quest for Airlord's power. Lina obtains the Airlord's power, and it's used to help defeat Rikusfalto, the general for Deep Sea Dolphin, and the woman Hureika to try and stop a second Kouma Sensou. Shizuri and Lyos decide to remain with Lina, Gourry and Amelia as they explore the new land. In this series, Zelgadiss nor Xelloss make an appearance. Gourry doesn't appear to have the Blast Sword, but he does get some sort of magic sword at one point in the series. Lina does not have the Demon's Blood tailsmen, and there's no explanation as to what happened to them.
> 
> This is a retelling of the Slayers TRY utilizing the characters and situations established in "Knight of Aqualord." I hope this introduction will be helpful to you as you dive into this story. There is a prequel, "It's Called Love at First, and Doesn't Hurt," which is a Lina/Gourry one-shot that explains the background behind their relationship status in this story.
> 
>  
> 
> **NOTE: This work was originally published from 2005-2007.**

_"A whipped dog shouldn't bark so loud" - Saitou Hajime, "Rurouni Kenshin"_

He worked feverishly in the dark, allowing himself only one small ball of mage light to allow him to see the scrawl on the parchments. He had to hurry. He was running out of time.

He was going to die.

Tarim the Violet had escaped death once. It'd been almost three years ago that he had barely eluded the clutches of Halcyform the White - the elder in the Sorcerer's Guild who had made a contract with a dangerous Mazoku. The pawns in that case had been himself and Daymia the Blue. Both desired power, but weren't prepared for what would happen once they received it.

Tarim thought he had escaped a stronger man, one more crafty and wise to the workings of the world. He would become head of the Sorcerer's Guild and establish it as the headquarters for the lands. The one in Sairaag was gone, destroyed in a strange incident that some say was the resurrection of the famous priest, Rezo. Tarim didn't much care what happened or didn't happen in Sairaag. All he knew what that thisleft Atlas City in prime position to become the largest, most glorious guild in the land within the Mazoku barrier.

But there had been a side effect to his near-death experience, being trapped in stone. That crazy sorceress, Lina Inverse, had been unable to remove the stone that wrapped around his skin and prevented him from moving. He snarled. How he hated the little flat-chested bitch. He would gladly pay anything to get a chance to wring her scrawny neck. It was her fault he was in this mess, and he was going to be the one to pay the price.

To free himself from the stone, he had to sell his soul to the devil.

Daymia the Blue had refused the same offer given Tarimand had become an invalid, taken in by his family that dwelled in Saillune. The last Tarim had heard, Daymia was bedbound and driving his caretakers up the wall. That was nothing new.

As for himself, Tarim pored over volume after endless volume of books, set on the task assigned to him by his new master.

With a sigh, he turned a page in a dusty history book. He had no idea that the Sorcerer's Guild had so many. His master brought him others. He was so tired of reading. He hated to read. What he wouldn't give for a fine glass of merlot and an evening by the fire, feet propped up and a chess game to linger over.

Then he saw it. The knowledge he sought.

He never thought he would find it, what he had been instructed to look for. And the best part about it was, the item was right here in the Sorcerer's Guild! Tarim's eyes darted around the room. He was alone, he could feel it. His master would never know what happened. He would lie. That was what he would do. He would say he hadn't found the information yet, then use the precious item to win back his freedom. Then he was going after Lina Inverse.

His "master" would pay. So would she.

He raced through the empty guild, heart racing as he searched for a suitable tool for digging. He could use a Damu Brass, but that would draw too much attention to himself. Tarim had to do this as quietly as possible, or else he would definitely fail. He couldn't afford to do so.

Tarim discovered a crowbar in one of the storage sheds and hurried back to the basement. He consulted the book once more, brightening the mage light just enough to where he could see across the room. Then he paced off the required number of steps and started to hack away at the floorboard.

He jammed the crowbar into one of the new cracks and grunted, using his body's bulk to his advantage to break the wood. Falling to his knees, he tossed the boards aside and scratched at the ground with his nails, then with the crowbar.

An hour past. Two. Sweat poured down his face, soaked in the collar of his robes. He gave a sob of relief whenthe crowbar struck something solid and he returned to digging with his hands. After 10 minutes of digging and a few hard tugs, he pulled a long box out of the ground.

With trembling hands, he brushed the dirt off and lifted the lid.

The weapon resembled a double-edged sword with an odd-shaped mid-section that made it easy to hold onto. He lifted it out, held it in the air. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He found it. He was going to be free.

"Ah, I see you found what we've been looking for, Tarim-san."

He got to his feet, stumbled when he noticed his master perched on the table a few feet away from him. How long had he been there? "You...," he growled and pointed the weapon at him, recalled the incantation that the book said to recite. "Light, come forth!"

To his shock, twin tails of weak blue light emerged from the weapon. Stunned, he gaped at it. "What is this? It's suppose to be a powerful weapon!"

"Oh, but it is." His master got off the table and approached him. "It's extremely powerful in the hands of one who knows how to use it properly. You, Tarim-san, don't possess enough willpower to make it to lunchtime without complaining about how hungry you are." His eyes passed over the sorcerer's obese frame and he smirked.

Tarim mustered every bit of resolve that he had. As a result, the light blade flickered, grew a bit stronger. "I'll...I'll channel a Dragon Slave through this if I have to!"

His master lifted an eyebrow. "You? Do a Dragon Slave? That's about as impossible asthe former Swordsman of Light being able to cast a Lighting spell, much less remember the name of it." He lifted a finger and cocked his head to one side. "Have you ever heard, Tarim-san, about how the golden dragons were wiped out during the Kouma Sensou? Fascinating story, that it is."

He pushed himself off the table, advanced on the trembling sorcerer. "You see, the Mazoku lords decided to send out a single man to do the job for them. That man happens to be me." He relieved Tarim of the weapon. "I thank you for finding this weapon for me. However, you have violated our agreement by desiring to kill me. For that, I have no further need for you."

With that, he lifted a finger and a ray of energy pierced Tarim, disintegrating the man as he lunged for him. Then, turning in a slow circle, he blasted all of the jars of chemicals stored in the basement, causing a chain reaction that lead to a massive explosion that surrounded him.

Tarim's finger, which had managed to penetrate the barrier that divided the sorcerer from his master, fell to the ground.

Xelloss threw his head back, spread his arms and delighted in the screams of the dying. Then he returned to his master's side.


	2. She's Back! The Return of the Dramata

_She was trapped inside of the dream._

_She'd been here before, in the vast dome that had taken the place of the majestic tree, Flagoon. A huge crystal spire jutted from its center, the souls of thousands of people caught inside - those unfortunate enough to be in Sairaag when Copy Rezo decimated the city in a show of power. One of those was Sylphiel's father. Another, the original soul of a child that she had sliced through by accident when the zombies attacked them._

_It wasn't her fault, Sylphiel had told her. But she couldn't let the guilt go._

_Her attention focused on the six blue crystals floating above Hellmaster Phibrizzo's head._

_Zelgadiss._

_Amelia._

_Sylphiel._

_Martina._

_Zangulus._

_She swallowed. Gourry._

_The hellmaster appeared to be no more than a child. An insane child as he cackled and needled her to cast the one spell she didn't want to cast. She knew what would happen if she did so. She didn't want for it to happen._

_Then Phibrizzo had selected Gourry's crystal. Cracks suddenly appeared in it, like in glass right before it shattered._

_She found herself chanting the spell automatically. She didn't care anymore. She was going to choose him over the whole world. The world didn't mean anything to her if he wasn't there with his smile, his forgetfulness and his desire to be by her side._

_Because she wanted to be by his as well._

_She stretched her hands in the air, felt the Chaotic magic that made up the Giga Slave sizzle and crackle between them. If only she had the Sword of Light, she could channel it. But she would have to rely on herself now._

_Phibrizzo's insane laughter filled her ears, taunting her. She struggled, strained and gave it all of the willpower and love that she felt._

_But it wasn't enough._

_She began to scream as the darkness overtook her and her soul shattered._

\-----

_On a boat to Atlas City from the Kingdom of Kunan_

Amelia was out of her bed the moment she heard the first scream. She didn't have far to go. She lunged, grabbed hold of Lina's thrashing arms.

"Lina-san!" She shook her. "Wake up, Lina-san!"

The door slammed open behind her. Hair tousled from sleep and clad in pajamas, Gourry crossed the stateroom in two steps, and took Lina from Amelia. He started shaking her as well, then pulled her into his lap. "Wake up, Lina!" he ordered her.

Not again, Gourry thought as Lina whimpered in his arms. He thought she had gotten past this. It'd been over a year since the last one. He started to rock her. He couldn't remember what he had for dinner the night before, but he did know how to comfort her in times like this.

"What's going on, princess?" Shizuri sat up in the bunk she slept on above Amelia's bed.

"A nightmare, a bad one." Amelia gave Gourry a worried look. "She hasn't had one of these in awhile, has she?"

"Not since before we left our world."

Lina's eyes suddenly snapped open and she covered her face with her hands before pressing a fist to her mouth to contain the screams. The horror of the nightmare started to drain away, replaced by sudden fatigue. She was fine. She was safe. She was alive. She started to take notice of her surroundings, then saw Amelia sitting at her knee and realized Gourry was holding her. She relaxed, sank against his chest.

"Are you okay, Lina-san?" Amelia grabbed her hand and pressed a thumb to her wrist to take her pulse.

The gentle rocking of the ship helped to calm her. They were heading home. They were scheduled to reach Atlas City later in the day. She, nor Gourry and Amelia, had been in their part of the world for more than a year now. She craned her neck back, saw anxious blue eyes staring down at her. She gave him a weak smile, and hoped it would make him feel better.

"I'm surprised Lyos-san didn't come in as well," Amelia observed.

"What's the dream about?" Shizuri asked, fully awake.

The illusionist from the city of Tito had made the decision to accompany the three back to their own lands, along with the Knight of Aqualord, Lyos. While in Shizuri's lands, the Mazoku had tried to use Lyos in an attempt to start a second war that would rival the Kouma Sensou, or War of the Mazoku's Fall. In that war, the Aqualord had been defeated - but at a cost to the Mazoku as well.

Lina had obtained the power of the Airlord to defeat the Mazoku Hureika, stalling things for now. But she and Amelia agreed that it was time to return to their own land and see what developments had occurred there.

Lina looked up at the illusionist. She had told Shizuri and Lyos very little about her own past. She had always referred to Gourry and Amelia as longtime traveling companions. Shizuri more than likely didn't know much about the seven pieces of Shabranigdu, the Mazoku barrier itself, Hellmaster Phibrizzo or Gaav. Shizuri knew that she'd known Gourry and Amelia for close to four years now, and that was about the extent of things.

She would have to be told. But not tonight.

"It's nothing," she lied and cheerfully waved a hand in Shizuri's direction. "Just an old dream. Nothing to be concerned over. I'll tell you about it later, I want to get some sleep."

\-----

Lina nearly tossed Gourry over the side of the ship three times the next morning. She was never quite able to get back to sleep, mainly because he and Amelia hovered over her like mother hens. They had both decided to stay on her bed with her until she fell back asleep, and the result was an odd tangle of bodies when they finally roused after a few hours of sleep.

The result left Lina in a semi-bad mood. She yelled at Gourry three times at breakfast, Lyos twice and Shizuri once. Amelia snoozed her way through the meal, landing face-first in her oatmeal at one point.

Then, Gourry proceeded to tag Lina everywhere around the ship. She'd forgotten that was his tendency after she had one of those nightmares. He was the resident worrywart when it came to her. But after being asked if she was okay 10 times in a row, she was getting pretty fed up with it. Love be damned, she was ready to have him swim the rest of the way to Atlas City in his armor.

She finally collapsed onto a deck chair and nodded off for a few hours. When she woke, she felt much better and noticed that he was sleeping in the chair next to hers. She smirked and was tempted to cast Sleeping on him to get him to stay put for awhile. Instead, she reached over and affectionately pushed his bangs out of his face.

Shortly before leaving for Atlas City, they had become the unwitting target of a budding professional matchmaker. The hapless girl had placed a spell on them that didn't allow them to be more than five feet apart from each other. The only way to break the spell had been to admit their feelings for each other - be it love, mere friendship or hatred.

Because she hadn't wanted to spend the rest of her life being smacked into Gourry's armor for being more than five feet from him at a time, Lina had confessed her feelings, though at the time it felt like getting her teeth pulled. It had stunned her to see them be reciprocated, though looking back at it, the signs were there. He'd just taken it naturally, like breathing or devouring all the food in sight. She'd been scared of it, and had thought it would lead to her being pushed into things she didn't think she was ready for - like setting down.

His eyes blinked open and she felt a surge of emotion go through her. Impulsively, knowing no one else was around, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Surprised, he returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her back, bringing her closer.

"Lina-san! Gourry-san! Where are you? The ship's going to be docking soon!"

Amelia ran around the corner and skidded to a stop when she noticed Lina leaning over Gourry. They broke their kiss and stared a bit stunned at the princess.

Amelia backed up nervously, cheeks pink. Her eyes darted around, then latched onto the seagulls flying above them! "Well, would you look at that? Birds! Pretty birds! Such pretty birds! Well...I have to be...somewhere else now. Bye!" She raced back toward the stateroom, making a note to herself to be nowhere in Lina's vicinity when they disembarked.

Lina pushed herself up and moved over to the railing. She wouldn't hurt Amelia...this time. She leaned against it and watched as the steepled roofs of Atlas City grew closer. "It's feels weird, to be this close to our world," she commented as Gourry joined her. She cracked her knuckles. "Let me try this. Balus Rod!"

A lance of light shot forth from Lina's hands. She threw her head back and laughed. "I can do black magic on my own again! Fantastic!" She spread her arms out wide. "The beautiful sorcery genius Lina Inverse has returned!"

A loud explosion cut off Lina's next words. She and Gourry gasped in union as a large mushroom cloud rose over Atlas City, sending debris hurtling in their direction. Lina quickly cast a defense spell over them as wood, brick and other stuff she didn't want to think of smashed into it.

"Lina-san!" Amelia raced back around the corner, eyes wide with shock. "What's going on?"

"By my guess, a good chunk of Atlas City's been destroyed." Lina grabbed Gourry's arm. "Grab his other arm, Amelia!"

"Right!" Amelia wrapped her arm through his other one.

"Raywing!" The girls chanted and the three took to the air. Most of the dock was relatively unharmed, but the entire center of town was gone.

"It looks like someone cast a Dragon Slave here," Lina mummered.

"Lina-san, were you practicing your magic again?" Amelia eyed her warily.

"No, I was not! Just one Balus Rod, and I don't need a lecture! Besides," she added, her voice turning serious. "I'm not skilled enough to Dragon Slave the center of a city at the distance we were at. We were too far away. I'd hit the dock before I'd hit here."

They touched down on one of the remaining roofs that appeared sturdy enough to support them. Lina scanned the area, taking note of where the epicenter was and landmarks in relationship to it. She shielded her eyes and frowned. "This doesn't look good. If I'm guessing right, their target was the Sorcerer's Guild." She pointed to the epicenter. "That's where the guild building is...or was."

"How horrible." Amelia fought back tears as she spotted bodies stacked up in the streets. She saw a few men stumble around with missing limbs and was forced to turn away to fight the nausea churning in her gut.

"Hundreds dead. Probably thousands. Atlas City has about 30,000 people. This was the heart of it." Lina bowed her head for a moment.

Gourry clasped her shoulder. "Lina, we need to do something."

"There's not much we can do."

"We can help them." He gestured at the wounded.

She stared dully at them, then nodded. "Do that. Amelia, go with him. They need your powers right now. I'll go get Shizuri and Lyos and find you." And find out some information, she thought to herself. No sorcerer was gusty or stupid enough to take out the Sorcerer's Guild, and a good chunk of Atlas City along with it, for no good reason.

Most of the remaining citizens in town were converging on the town square, offering what aid they could. Lina used a levitation spell to make her way back to the harbor. Scanning the docks, she didn't see Shizuri and Lyos, so she ducked into the closest tavern. The two from Kunan were the only patrons inside and they both sprang to their feet when they spotted her.

"Where have you been, Lina?" Shizuri demanded, marching over to her. "I saw you, Gourry and Amelia fly off the ship after the explosion."

"You weren't trying to ditch us, were you?" Lyos grumbled.

"No," Lina shot at him, then turned her focus to Shizuri. "Someone took out the Sorcerer's Guild and most of the center of the city with it. Gourry and Amelia are helping the wounded."

"We will too," Shizuri volunteered, then shot a dirty look at Lyos before he could protest. "The princess can tell us where to go, and Lyos can actually be put to some use other than mouthing off."

"I don't spend all of my time mouthing off!"

Lina ignored Lyos and gave Shizuri directions to the town square and the name of Nyan Nyan's Roast Beef, which was thankfully still intact. She left them and headed further down the dock toward another tavern.

The Dirty Blast was known for its cheap women and cheaper liquor. The first time Lina had gone in, she'd been propositioned by a well-meaning prostitute. After said prostitute received a first-hand demonstration of a Burst Rondo, she wasn't bothered. It was about as far from the high-class Sorcerer's Guild that one could get, but it still proved to be very popular among magic-users seeking a break from the guild.

Lina found it a wonderful source of information.

She pushed open the door and smiled when the bartender's eyes widened in recognition and he shrank away slightly. She cast a modified version of Raywing as she stepped inside, allowing her cloak to billow out as she walked. Her gaze raked over the customers, considering a possible target.

"Bitch sorceress," one man hunched over a brew at the bar spat at her.

Yes, he would do nicely. Lina approached him, a fireball forming in her hands. "Did I hear you call me anything other than the beautiful sorcery genius Lina Inverse? I could have sworn I did. If I really did hear you call me...'bitch sorceress,' then I would just have to show you how painful my fireballs can be." Her eyes glittered dangerously. "You wouldn't want that now, would you?"

The man glared at her, then averted his gaze. She slid onto the stool next to him. "Let me have one of what he's got. On his tab."

"Now look..."

Lina waved a finger at him. "Tsk, tsk. What have I just told you about the lethalness of my fireballs? I really don't want to have to demonstrate."

"Do you have anything better to do than to sit and yap at me all day?" The man shot back at her.

He reminded her somewhat of Lyos. Lina took a sip of the brew and nearly gagged. The stuff was the color of urine and tasted like acid. If she squinted hard enough, she could see stuff floating in it. Pushing it aside, she turned to the man. "You heard the explosion, right?"

"Good riddance to bad rubbish." The man raised his glass in a salute. "I want to give my thanks to the one brave enough to take out Tarim."

  
_Tarim the Violet?_  Intrigued now, she leaned an elbow on the counter. "Last I heard of him, he was encased in a good deal of stone - stone that I didn't remove from him when I had the chance."

She noted a flicker of admiration in the man's eyes, and he lifted his brew to her. "Then there's hope for you yet."

Lina raised her own glass and took another small sip, barely managing to hold back a cough. "I thought he was finished, along with Daymia the Blue."

"Daymia's somewhere in Saillune. Tarim got himself freed from the stone. They say he made a deal with a Mazoku. He's been holed up in the guild ever since. I assume he was there when it blew. His fat ass only knows the way to the toilet and the dinner table."

She propped her elbow on the bar, her sleeve catching on a splinter. Tarim wouldn't have been that stupid to make a contract with a Mazoku, not after what happened to Halcyform. But, Tarim never learned the whole truth about what happened to Halcyform, not unless someone told him after the fact - more than likely the rumored Mazoku who aided the sorcerer. Both he and Daymia were such idiots that Lina had been very contented to leave them as they were. Would he be stupid enough to take on a similar contract himself?

She nearly slammed her head against the bar. Yes. Yes, he would.

Lina slid off the stool, pushed the rest of her brew over to the man, along with a silver piece. "Here, take it," she told him, then started for the door.

The man scowled after her. "That drink's two silver."

She pressed a hand against her forehead. "You either get one silver or a Burst Rondo. Your choice."

The silver slipped into his pocket, and colorful statement out of his mouth. Lina whipped around. "Burst Rondo!" she yelled, sending the man flying off the stool and crashing into the patched mirror behind the bar. She dusted off her hands, then jerked a thumb at the fallen man. "Put it on his tab," she told the bartender and strode out.

\-----

Lina pushed her way into the restaurant, mildly annoyed when she spotted the mountain of empty dishes surrounding her friends. She zeroed in on Gourry's full glass of milk, swiped it and downed it in one gulp. She grabbed the pitcher and drank straight from it as well, ignoring the yells of protest around her. She finished clugging it and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She could still taste that horrible brew she had at The Dirty Blast.

"Do you mind? Some of us are trying to eat here," Lyos informed her as Lina helped herself to what little remained of Gourry's meal.

"Hey, that's my meat!" Gourry protested, lunging for her. Lina neatly sidestepped him, causing him to fall out of his chair. She kept eating.

"You got to stuff your face, therefore I get to stuff mine." She caught Amelia's downcast look as the princess stared into the distance and the almost-full plate of food in front of her. She tossed Gourry his empty plate and relieved Amelia of her unwanted meal.

"It's so horrible," Amelia said in a small voice, not even bothering to lecture Lina over taking her food. "So many people."

Lina paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. "Get your mind off it," she ordered Amelia. "We can't help anyone if you're sitting here feeling too sorry for yourself to do anything but sit and mope." She winked at her. "We have to find justice for them, don't we?"

Amelia stared at her for a moment, the jumped to her feet. "You're right, Lina-san! The people of Atlas City deserve justice from the evil that's visited them. I, Amelia, will be the right hand of that justice!"

"Good!" Lina scooped up a forkful of home fries and Amelia gawked at her.

"Lina-san! That's my food!"

"And it's good food." She faced the others. "I'm going down to the explosion site in the morning. I want to do a bit of poking around on my own before too many looters sift through the area and decide to sell the dirt for a few coins. I'm going to bed." She tossed the empty plate on the table, breezed by the group and headed toward the inn that was next door to the restaurant.

\-----

She'd never been one to remember her dreams, part of the reason why the nightmares of Phibrizzo perplexed her so much. They weren't fun to deal with, but they didn't bother Lina as badly as it did Gourry and Amelia. She could see for herself that they had managed to get out of that one by the skin of their teeth - barely.

That first night, her dreams caused her to wake up screaming.

The second, she woke up in a cold sweat - absolutely terrified.

She heard the clock ticking on the night stand next to her, forced her breathing to slow down and sync with the steady beat. She sat up and pressed a hand to her chest.

This dream had been very...well...erotic was the only term she could think of. She stared at the wall dividing her room from the one that Gourry and Lyos shared and blushed. On some level, she found it amusing that a dream of intimacy with the one she loved would bother her more than one where she caused the end of the universe. Even weeks after the whole matchmaker incident, being blasted with a spell was more appealing than having to confront her own feelings. She tossed the covers aside, decided to take a sponge bath to get the sweat off.

Then she spotted the letter lying near the door.

Lina cast a low-level Lighting spell and suspended it in the air. She picked up the letter, noted the neat script on the front of the envelope. Whoever write it had excellent penmanship, which meant he or she had a very good education. Her name was written out the largest, Gourry and Amelia's underneath in smaller letters in the same flowing script.

The paper itself was of very good quality, the weight and texture adding to the expense. Overall, it was a simple message, inviting her to take a job that would involve a pretty hefty reward as the payment. It was signed by a person named Filia, most likely a woman. The thought of money lifted Lina's spirits greatly.

But the meeting location perplexed her. In detail, this Filia had described the rooftop where she, Gourry and Amelia had landed the day before after Raywinging into Atlas City. Not to mention, they had been back in the area for less than 24 hours. But they had told no one many details about their impending return. How did this Filia know they were in Atlas City? Amelia had sent letters to Zelgadiss via his last-known location and her father before they left Kunan. Lina had penned a letter to her mother. But it was a good chance that they probably arrived before the mail did.

She thought back to Tarim the Violet and the explosion at the Atlas City Sorcerer's Guild. Something happened while they were in Kunan and she had somewhat of a sinking feeling that it had to do with the fallout from her battle with Hellmaster Phibrizzo. Yes, Tarim was a pathetic slob who probably couldn't pull anything off beyond a basic fireball, but she couldn't see anyone other than Daymia wanting to kill him - unless he really managed to annoy the wrong person. He was an idiot, so he still probably had wanted to become head of the Sorcerer's Guild, and was just dumb enough to forge an alliance with a Mazoku to accomplish that.

Lina sighed, tossed the letter on the night stand and washed up. She climbed back in bed, stared longingly at the wall, wishing for a moment that she wasn't alone. It felt strange to want to be kissed and held, and she needed it after seeing the destruction that day. She wondered, as she drifted off to sleep, if she would ever get the hang of being part of a couple.


	3. At Night, When Evil Spirits Appear

A few hours later, Lina led the group through the maze of streets back to the site of the explosion, making sure to stay at least three steps in front of the rest of them. She had gotten about as much sleep as she did the last night on board the ship and took it out by yelling at anyone who crossed her path in a way that she didn't like.

Amelia glanced off to her left as she walked and wound up tripping over Lyos. They landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs and curses from the young swordsman. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. 

Amelia scrambled to her feet and held out a hand for Lyos. He ignored it and got up. Unfazed, she pointed toward the south. "Do you see that? I've never seen anything like it here before." 

Lina startled when she noticed the bright pillar of light shining far to the south. "How weird," she muttered. "I've never seen anything like that before. Have you?" she directed the question at Shizuri. 

She shook her head. "No. I've seen other sorts of phenomena, but nothing like this." 

"You don't think it's a bad omen, do you?" Amelia gave Shizuri a worried look. "Maybe another Sorcerer Guild's been attacked." 

"There's really not one to the south that could be targeted," Lina told her. "Just the ocean, some islands and the lands to the south. There's the Alliance of Costal States, but none of the guild posts there are that powerful. The only other guilds that have as much power as this one are the ones in Saillune City and Zefiel City." 

Lina gave the light one last glance. "It could be that it's nothing. A trick of the sun and clouds. We've got more important things to handle at the moment." 

The building's entrance was blocked off, so Lina used the power of Airlord to lift them all to the roof. She strode over to the edge and studied the wreckage once more. No looters had struck. There was nothing available for them to take. 

She heard footsteps behind her. "Do you see it, Lina?" 

She peered over her shoulder at Gourry, who was surveying the area as well. "See what?" 

"That ring." He pointed down at the rubble. "It's kind of hard to tell because of the way the debris is, but there's a large circle of sorts in the middle." 

Lina shielded her eyes and squinted. It was as he said. Some of the debris had fallen obstructing it a bit, but there was a definite circle right at the epicenter of the blast. It wouldn't be noticed at ground-level. 

"It's like someone had a shield around them while the blast was going on." Lina narrowed her eyes. "Tarim? He doesn't have the magical skills to make a defense spell that strong. Someone extremely powerful caused that explosion, and that person was right at the center of it. Good job, Gourry. I wouldn't have noticed it on my own." She grabbed his arm. "Let's go down and..." 

The ringing of the city's bells cut off Lina's sentence and Gourry suddenly whirled around. Taking his cue, Lina pivoted and spotted a tall young woman approaching the group. She wore white priestess robes over a pink gown and various jewels affixed to her forehead and the sides of her head. A large amulet was pinned to the neck of her gown, where the two sides of the robe gathered. Her hair was a shade lighter than Gourry's, her eyes a couple of tints darker than his. 

The wind blew her bangs into her face. With a graceful motion, she pushed her hair aside and focused her gaze on Lina. "I take it you're Lina Inverse?" 

Lina held out a hand to keep Gourry from covering her. "It depends on who's asking." 

The woman smiled. "I am Filia, the woman who sent you that letter." Her eyes fell on Amelia. "You must be Amelia wil Tesla Saillune." Then they shifted to Gourry. "And you're Gourry Gabriev." They widened when she noticed the two other members of their party. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure who the two of you are." 

"Shizuri," the illusionist said. She folded her arms across her chest. "This kid's Lyos, Knight of Aqualord." 

"I'm not a kid," he protested. 

Lina placed a hand on her hip. "It sounds like you've done some research on us." 

"Yes, at least as far as you defeating Hellmaster Phibrizzo and exploring some of the countries beyond the Mazoku barrier." Filia clasped her hands in front of her. "I didn't realize you were bringing back new companions with you." 

Realization started to dawn on her. "So I see. What do you want from us?" 

Gourry's eyes narrowed as caught the glimpse of something on the ground behind Filia. He started to inch around behind the woman as she explained how she had done research on them. The wind tugged at her robe again and he sucked in a quick breath when he noticed a long, golden tail coming from her body, a pink ribbon tied in the bow on the end. 

"I've come to confirm how powerful you are," Filia explained to Lina. "Especially since there are rumors that you acquired the power of Airlord recently. It'll give me the chance to see how powerful Shizuri-san and Lyos-san are as well." 

"I don't need confirmation by some strange lady to tell me how powerful I am." Lyos marched up to Filia and nearly shoved his nose in her face. "I'm the Knight of Aqualord. I nearly lost my life obtaining that power." 

"Down boy," Lina ordered Lyos. "What do you want to test our power for?" She asked Filia. 

"Well, you see...," Filia's voice cut off, then she shrieked. The rest of the group gasped when they noticed Gourry holding up the back of Filia's skirt, staring intently at something underneath it. 

Lina's jaw dropped, her face ashen. "Wha...what do you think you're doing, Gourry?" she shrieked. 

He glanced up. The serious expression was replaced by sheer panic. "It's not what you think! I was just looking in here," he explained, then pointed up Filia's skirt. 

With a scream, Filia jerked up her skirts, revealing a mace attached to a white garter. With a single powerful motion, the she slammed the mace into Gourry, sending him flying off the building with a yell. Lina raced to the edge of the roof and watched as he sailed in the direction of the inn they were staying in. 

"What just happened? Lina-san!" Amelia ran to her side. 

"Man, I'm not even that dumb," Lyos muttered. He shrugged. "I even know what's under a woman's skirts." 

Filia burst into tears, tossed the mace aside and raced for the edge of the roof. With a single leap, she jumped off. 

Lyos flailed, then chased after her. "Look, lady, you don't have to jump off the..." He peered over the side, saw no trace of her. "She's gone," he muttered. 

Shizuri started to pick up the mace and grunted. "This thing weighs a ton!" 

"Let me try." Lyos walked back over and grabbed the handle. He winced as he hefted it in the air. "This thing's heavier than those boulders the idiot swordsman and I lifted awhile back. No ordinary woman has this sort of strength." 

Lina felt the beginnings of a headache start to pound at her temples. "Amelia, go find Gourry. Drag him back to the inn and keep him there. Shizuri, Lyos, see if you can find this Filia person. I'm going to inspect this damage before something else goes wrong. Damn it, Gourry," she muttered under her breath as the others scrambled off. "Why did you have to pick now to be a perverted jellyfish?" She kicked at a rock and flew down to the epicenter. 

Nothing but dust was left at the center of the attack. Lina studied the lines along the ground and wished that Gourry was here to look at them alongside her. His eye was so good that he would pick up the smallest detail. She couldn't see the circle now. If it had been a normal chemical explosion, it wouldn't had been such a neat circle. More debris would had fallen closer to the center of the explosion. 

She crouched, studied the ground. No blast lines extending from the center. Just solid dirt. She stood and cast a defense spell. The shield rippled out from her. It didn't go quite as far from the epicenter as the other circle extended, but it was definitely the same shape. 

The glitter of gold caught Lina's eye and she walked over to the edge of the circle. A ring, she realized, bent over to pick it up, then realized it was still attached to the person's finger. Bile rose in her throat, and she sat back on her haunches. Someone had been unlucky enough to get just their finger inside of the shield, but the rest had been vaporized. 

She rummaged through the debris until she found a stick she could use and used it to turn the finger over to see the ring better. She frowned when she recognized the large, amethyst stone set into the gold band. Tarim the Violet. Rest in peace, you fool, she thought. 

\----- 

When Lina got back to the inn, she found the rest of the group gathered in the room that Gourry and Lyos shared. Lina didn't have to yell at him for the move he pulled regarding Filia. Shizuri was in the middle of taking care of it for her as she walked in. 

"Why the hell would you look under another woman's skirt in front of your girlfriend?" She jabbed a finger in Gourry's face. "If she doesn't Dragon Slave you, I'll take care of you myself!" 

"But I saw something strange under there," Gourry protested, trying to ward off the angry illusionist. He adjusted the ice bag he held over his face. "I swear, I did!" 

"Of course you saw something under there!" Shizuri grabbed his shirt, shook him slightly. "You're not that dumb about women, are you?" 

His face turned as red as Lina's eyes. "No!" he yelled back at her, mortified. "Not that! I wasn't...why would I...I saw a tail!" 

"A tail?" As much as she enjoyed seeing Gourry on the receiving end of Shizuri's wrath, his words caught Lina's attention. She joined Shizuri. "Gourry, women don't have tails." 

"I know they don't! That's why I noticed." He pulled away from Shizuri. "It had a pink bow on it. It matched her dress. She also had on a garter with that mace on it. That thing's really heavy." He rubbed the side of his face that was bruised from it. 

Lina pressed her hand to his cheek and cast the Recovery spell. "Okay, so you're either an insane pervert or this Filia person isn't what she really seems." 

"My vote is insane pervert." Shizuri folded her arms over her chest. 

"I'm staying out of this," Lyos muttered. 

Amelia frowned, bit her lip. "It doesn't sound like Gourry-san to go looking under someone's skirt with Lina-san around. It really doesn't sound like him period." Her eyes glinted dangerously. "After all, Gourry-san knows that doing such things in front of one's girlfriend for improper purposes is a very unjust thing to do, and if he did so, then he would have to be subjected to the justice speech to end all justice speeches. So I'm going with the tail." 

He knew he'd rather be Dragon Slaved than endure a justice speech and started to sweat a little. "Amelia..." 

"I believe him," Lina simply replied and his jaw nearly dropped. She frightened him with a sickening sweet smile. "Trust me, I know how to inflict pain much worse than a Dragon Slave if it was otherwise." 

Because he knew she was very capable of it, Gourry decided it was time to change the subject. "What did you find?" 

Lina finished the spell and dropped into the chair next to his. "From what I can tell, the explosion originated from within the Sorcerer's Guild. With the size of the guild building here, there would had been a lot of chemicals in storage. You break all the jars....BOOM!" She grinned as everyone jerked in response. "A big boom, which is what caused the explosion." 

She pulled a handkerchief out of her cloak and displayed the ring inside of it. "This belonged to Tarim the Violet. It's all that's left of him." That and his finger, but Lina really didn't want to recall it or how she had to get rid of the finger before she allowed herself to touch the ring. 

"Did Tarim-san cause the explosion?" Amelia wondered. 

"I don't know. My hunch tells me that he didn't. Someone put up a defense shield when the explosion happened. If my guess is right, and I want to look at the site one more time before I pass final judgment, whoever caused the explosion was inside of the barrier when it happened." 

"Was it this Tarim guy? Shizuri asked. 

"No. Idiot doesn't have enough sense to put his robes on right side out. I tried casting a defense shield of my own. It didn't expand as much as the other did. Whoever cast the shield is a very, very powerful sorcerer or...," Lina's gaze met Amelia's. 

"A Mazoku," she finished, sank wearily into the sofa cushions. 

Shizuri groaned. "I thought we were finished with those!" 

Lina shrugged and got to her feet. "I'm beat. I'm going to bed. You two coming?" 

The girls bid the men goodnight and headed for their room. Shizuri pushed the door open. Lina was about to follow Amelia and Shizuri when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced behind her and noticed Gourry, worry in his eyes. She waved at the others. "Go on in. I'll be a minute." 

They stepped inside, closed the door after them. Lina turned, leaned against the it. He resembled a lost puppy and she found herself feeling sorry for him. "I'm not mad at you about the skirt deal," she told him. "Really. You know me. If I was mad, I'd thrown you a whole lot further than that Filia girl had. Actually, she was going against the wind, or else we'd have to fish you out of the sea." She gave him a bright smile. "I don't think you're a womanizer. A jellyfish, absolutely. Beyond that, I have my doubts." 

He smiled and he visibly relaxed. He knew that he'd deserved to be thrown into a wall - and had that very thing happen for very minor offenses. "Thanks, Lina." 

Her heart did a funny little flop inside of her chest and she quickly averted her gaze. "Though I really wonder if we've blown it with this Filia now." She bit her bottom lip. 

Gourry raised an eyebrow. "You're seriously consider going after money? I thought you were concerned about the explosion." 

"I am. But my gut tells me this is no coincidence." Lina glanced down the hall and frowned when she caught sight of a flash of light. She pushed herself off the door, headed to the window. 

Gourry followed her. "What is it?" 

She opened it, stuck her head outside. "Look." She pointed into the distance, toward the same pillar of light they had seen during the day. "That strange light again. I thought it was just a trick of the sun, but it's apparent at night as well. Shizuri said that she overhead it being mentioned that it was first spotted yesterday, which coincides with the explosion." 

"Why would the light be in a different place?" 

"I don't know." She closed the window and started back toward their rooms. "If you can manage to restrain yourself from looking up strange women's skirts, I want you to look at the epicenter of the explosion with me. I know I explained my theory, but I want to hear your thoughts on it as well." 

Gourry watched her as she headed back to her room. "You know, you've never asked for my help like that before," he commented half to himself. "Not with things like this." 

Lina placed her hand on the doorknob and flashed him a smile. "Let's just say we're calling it even regarding the whole skirt mess. Besides," she gave him a wink, "we're a couple now, right? Surely over the years, I've figured out you've got some brains rattling around in that jellyfish head of yours." 

Pleased with the grin he rewarded her with, Lina ducked into the bedroom before the conversation could go any further.


	4. You Want Power? I'll Show You Power!

After breakfast, they returned once more to the scene of the explosion. This time, Lina told the others to remain on the roof while she and Gourry inspected the site for themselves.

He paced the edge of the circle, then started to push some of the rubble away. She stood behind him. "What do you see?" 

"Some of the dirt's looser here." He tossed rubble aside, then tapped at the ground. "Here is solid ground, other than where the floor was." Then he scooped up a handful of dirt from a spot a few inches to the right. "The dirt here's looser, and there's also a vague imprint if you look at it from this angle. Something was buried here." 

Understanding started to dawn on Lina. "I see. So, whoever set off this explosion was searching for something. Can you tell how big the hole is?" 

"Move this stuff, and I can take a stab at it." 

Together, they cleared away more of the rubble and scooped up enough of the dirt to be able to tell the size of the hole. It was rectangular-shaped and was several feet long. Lina straightened and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her glove. 

"Whatever was in here is long and thin. A weapon maybe?" Her mind raced with possibilities. It had to be some sort of treasure - something valuable enough to destroy the entire guild and a good chunk of the city along with it. 

Lina wanted that treasure. Badly. 

They returned to the others, relayed what they found. "Unfortunately, though, there's not much more we can go on regarding this," she said. "We have little to go on at this point, and even our own best guesses are just that - guesses. Not that I doubt your eye," she directed that at Gourry, "but there's nothing concrete there. The one thing we know for sure is that Tarim the Violet's dead." 

Amelia cupped her chin in her hand. "I wonder if we'll see Filia-san again?" 

"I'm right here." 

They turned, saw the priestess standing before them in much the same manner as she had the day before. A little warily, Gourry edged himself behind Lina, placed a hand on her shoulder. She grunted. "Chicken," she muttered under her breath, then glanced at the bottom of Filia's skirts. She saw no tail and frowned. "I thought you said there was a tail," she whispered. 

"I swear, I saw one yesterday!" Gourry insisted. 

They both knew the consequences of Gourry lying to Lina, so she was convinced he was telling the truth. "I believe you." 

Filia stared at the ground, found the dust that streaked over her white boots immensely fascinating. "Umm...I left something here yesterday," she said in a voice just slightly above a whisper. "Is it possible that you might have found it?" 

"You mean this?" Lyos slung Filia's mace off his shoulder and presented it to her. 

She accepted it as she would a baby, cradling it close and nuzzling her cheek against the sharp edges. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" She hastily thrust the mace behind her back. "Umm...perhaps we can continue with our business from yesterday?" 

"That's fine." Lina stepped forward. "You say you have a mission for us that will pay an extraordinary large amount of money?" 

Filia nodded. "That's right. It is a most noble mission." 

This touched Amelia's justice-filled heart. "Let's do it, Lina-san! If it's a noble mission, then surely we are being asked to deliver justice somewhere to a downtrodden people!" 

Lina rolled her eyes. "How remarkably naive of you, Amelia." 

"Before we can proceed any further though, I have to test your powers," Filia continued and bowed to them. She lifted her arms out and dissipated into the sky, effectively cutting the negotiations short. 

Lina gasped while the rest of the group reared back. "What was that?" 

"What a strange girl," Shizuri commented. "I thought we were leaving the weirdos behind when we agreed to travel to your world, Lina." 

"No, you're just going to encounter bigger weirdoes here." Lina dragged a hand through her hair. "Am I the only one who doesn't think this makes any sense whatsoever?" 

"It makes no sense to me!" Gourry informed her cheerfully. 

"Not much does make sense to you at times!" Lina threw her arms in the air and started back toward the edge of the roof, prepared to Raywing back down to the street. "I'm thinking this is a bogus job. Let's go grab some lun..." 

The rest of Lina's sentence was cut off by a collective scream coming from the street. The group looked up to see a large golden dragon making its way toward them, energy rays shooting out of its mouth into the rubble of the town square. 

"Watch out!" Lina grabbed Shizuri, the closest person to her, and they hit the roof just barely missing the dragon's claws. 

"Lina!" 

Her head snapped up at the sound of Gourry's yell as a large crack split down the middle of the roof. The half that Gourry, Lyos and Amelia were on crumbled away. 

"Gourry! Amelia! Lyos!" Lina scrambled her feet, knowing she wasn't going to make it in time. 

Protective instincts taking over, Gourry grabbed hold of Amelia and pressed her against his chest, angling to take the brunt of the blow caused by hitting the ground. Amelia stuck out her hands on either side of him and shouted out the Raywing spell, providing an air cushion for them as they hit the ground. Amelia rolled out of his lap, shot the spell upwards and caught Lyos right before he hit the ground as well. 

"What the hell is that thing?" Lyos drew Banisher and shifted into a fighting stance. 

"A golden dragon," Amelia replied. "They mainly live in the mountains to the northeast of here. But, the ones we encountered a few years ago were kind!" 

"Here it comes again!" Gourry drew his own sword and leapt to the side as it swooped down over the three. 

"Elmekia Lance!" Amelia called out, sending the spell at the dragon. It faded about halfway there. "Too far away!" 

Gourry caught a flash out of the corner of his eye. He pivoted and spotted a familiar-looking man standing some feet away. 

"Hey, that's...," he started to call out, then the man took off running. Gourry immediately pursued. 

Amelia whirled around, saw him running off. "What are you doing? Hey, wait, Gourry-san!" she took off after him. 

"Hey, I can't fight this thing alone! Get back here!" Lyos hefted Banisher over his shoulder and followed her. 

Amelia uttered hasty apologies as she pushed past people, trying to keep Gourry in sight. She was grateful that he was so tall and his hair was of a bright color. It was the only way that she couldn't lose him. He rounded a corner and she grabbed Lyos' hand. "Levitation," she called out, lifting both of them into the air. 

Gourry ran into the middle of a plaza and came to a stop, scanned the area. He swore he had seen him, and his mind wasn't playing tricks on him either. He turned to meet Amelia and Lyos as Amelia touched down to the ground. 

"You idiot, don't go running off like that," Lyos yelled. 

"I wasn't just running off. I saw him. That Mazoku guy we traveled with for awhile. Umm..." Gourry frowned and tried to remember his name. "Pellas? No, Zailas? No..." 

"Xelloss-san?" Amelia reared back slightly. 

Gourry snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's it! Xelloss!" 

"Who the hell is Xelloss?" Lyos demanded. 

"The priest for the Greater Beast Zelas Mettalium," Amelia explained. "He's one of the most powerful Mazoku you'll ever meet, even more so than Rikufalso. Deep Sea Dolphin created a general and a priest. Zelas Mettalium only created a priest. The result is Xelloss-san. He single-handedly wiped out an entire tribe of golden dragons during the Kouma Sensou." 

"My, my, Amelia-san. You do flatter me with your words." 

They pivoted. Xelloss stood some feet away, dressed in similar garb to the last time they had seen him. His violet hair hung to his shoulders and he wore the clothing of a priest. He lifted a finger and smiled. "Imagine, seeing my friends back here. The last I heard, you were off having a bit of fun in one of Aqualord's domains." 

"Xelloss-san!" Amelia approached him. "What are you doing here?" 

He rubbed the back of his head and laughed a little. "Just a little bit of government business that has to be addressed. But, I've come across a bit of information that would be of particular interest to you, Gourry-san." 

"Gourry-san?" Amelia blinked in surprise. Other than the time when the swordsman revealed that he had known about Xelloss' true nature before any of them, Xelloss hardly gave Gourry a second glance. 

"Where's Lina, is she okay?" Gourry demanded. 

"We only had our backs turned a minute!" Amelia replied. 

"Oh no, Lina-san's quite healthy." Xelloss pointed his staff at the sky and they noticed the golden dragon still circling the city, a small red blur chasing after it. "I imagine that's Lina-san and...Shizuri-san, do I have that right? No, this has to do with the Sword of Light." 

That grabbed their attention. Gourry and Amelia stared at Xelloss in shock. "Do you know where my sword is?" Gourry asked. 

Xelloss lifted his shoulders in a half-shrug. "Unfortunately, I don't. But, there is a rumor that it possibly returned to the site of your battle with Hellmaster Phibrizzo 18 months ago. There has been some rumors of strange things lately." 

The last Gourry remembered of his sword, it had been swallowed up in the blackness that was the Sea of Cay-os...no, no, that big black area where Lina had disappeared to after she turned all golden from being possessed by the Lord of Nightmares. His eyes met Amelia's and reflected the confusion that he felt. It'd been gone for awhile. Why was it back now? 

"Anyhow, I figured I'd inform you of that bit of news," Xelloss continued with a bland smile. "I'm in the middle of a search myself, and unfortunately don't have much time to spend with you. Please, give my regards to Lina-san." 

"What sort of search?" Amelia wondered aloud. 

Xelloss made the jump back to the Astral plane, but projected his voice so they could still hear him. "That, Amelia-san, is a secret." 

\----- 

Lina peered over the side of the roof, sighed in relief when she noticed her friends on the ground, relatively unharmed. Her attention quickly shifted as she noticed the golden dragon sweeping down toward her and Shizuri. She heard Lyos' shout and the drawing of swords and knew he, Gourry and Amelia could take care of themselves for the moment. 

"Lina!" Shizuri shot a spell a pile of nearby rubble, shifting it into a replica of Lina. She grabbed Lina's arm, pulling them both out of the dragon's line of sight. They winced as the energy ray hit near the rubble. "We've got to get out of here! That thing's going to destroy the city! What about your Dragon Slave? You said you have all of your power here, right?" 

"I can't," Lina told her. "I cast it now, the rest of the city will be destroyed!" She eyed the dragon, then weighed her options. "I can use the Airlord's power, but there's too many people around here." 

"Don't," Shizuri protested. "You lose control of it and you're done for!" 

"If only we could catch up to Lyos, he could use the Banisher on it." An idea crossed her mind. That wasn't the only sword at their disposal. Lina grabbed Shizuri's hand and cast the Airlord's wind shield around them. They raced toward the dragon. "I've got one more spell I can try. I haven't used it in a year. I've got a few pieces of the dark lord fang left, perhaps it could work." 

They landed on a cliff and Lina snatched a fang piece from her cloak. "Let's hope this works," she muttered and fisted it tightly. "You, who is a part of the Lord of Nightmares..." 

_Lord of Nightmares?_ Shizuri stared at Lina in shock. She had heard of such a being from Zasu-sama before, but she wasn't quite sure that if it was the truth or not. There really was such a being out there? 

"You, who is released from the universe, a freezing black blade of darkness." Lina held her hands apart, the fang suspended in the space between them as it began to strengthen her power. Swirls of black magic enveloped it and began to elongate. 

"Be my power, be my arm. Together, we walk on the path of destruction, crashing down the soul of gods! Ragna Blade!" 

Shizuri backed up a step as the fang piece shattered and the darkness elongated into a huge sword that towered over both of them. Lina grunted and struggled to control the blade. She eyed the dragon, then leaped into the air, swinging the sword as she started to descend to the ground. The dragon evaded the move. It broke apart in Lina's hands as she plummeted to the ground. 

"Levitation," she yelled, swinging back into the sky toward Shizuri. 

"What the hell was that spell?" Shizuri demanded as Lina touched back down. 

"No time! You, who are darker than twilight...," Lina grabbed another piece of the fang and launched into a rapid-fire delivery of the Dragon Slave spell. She no longer needed the fang to activate this spell, she was at full power here. But it could give her the boost she needed, like the demon's blood tailsmen used to. "...and no one will escape from us! Dragon Slave!" 

She launched the spell at the dragon as it sped away from the city. The magic enveloped the dragon, and when it died away, it was gone. 

Lina sank to the ground, exhausted. "Thank goodness. We were running out of options there." 

Shizuri knelt by her side. "Lina, there's streaks of white in your hair. Are you okay?" 

"Huh?" She absently touched her head, then laughed. "Oh, I'll be fine. I used too many high-powered spells at once. The shield that got us here, the Ragna Blade and the amplified Dragon Slave." 

She sat back, drew in several full lungfuls of air. She only had two other options beside those spells. The first, and most preferably, was to use the power of Airlord. The second was the Giga Slave. That one was definitely out of the question unless they was no other way around it. It was funny, she thought, that two of the four most powerful spells in her arsenal used powers that were directly opposite of each other. 

She thought back to Valwyn and how he told her that using too much of a god's power would have its aftereffects. She drew out a lock of hair and studied the white lines streaked through it before letting it drop. She forced herself back to her feet. "Let's get off of here and find the others." 

\----- 

Lina blinked open her eyes, saw sunlight crawling across the ceiling. She felt like she'd taken a blast from one of her own spells, and it didn't feel so hot. When had she gotten back to her own room? The last thing she clearly remembered was using the Airlord's power to get herself and Shizuri back to Atlas City, despite the illusionist's protests. 

"Morning, sunshine." 

She craned her head, noticed Gourry sitting in a chair next to the bed. "Where are we?" 

"Your room. An extra one came open and Shizuri and Amelia moved into it so you could get some sleep. You've been out for 14 hours." 

"Only 14?" With a laugh, Lina pushed herself up. "Remember when I cast the Giga Slave against Shabranigdu? No, you probably don't. I slept for a full day at a time for three days, and I think the only reason I got up was that I had to go to the bathroom." 

"And eat. You ate more than usual." 

She chuckled. "You surprise me, you know? Speakings of food, I'm famished! Let's eat!" She sprang out of bed, her legs immediately giving out. Gourry managed to grab her right before she hit the ground and laid her back on the bed. 

"Okay, so I'm not quite up to snuff yet." Lina bunched up the pillow behind her so she could sit up, smiled at his concerned expression. "Don't look so worried. I'm fine! I just learned that maybe it's not wise to cast three...no four very high-level spells all in a row. Let's see, first I used Airlord's power, then the Ragna Blade, then an amplified Dragon Slave and finally Airlord's power again." 

She was amused when Gourry's face turned chalk white. "But, I'm fit as a fiddle!" 

"Yeah, right," he muttered under his breath. "I'll go get some food." 

"That's the ticket!" Lina cheered him. Once he left the room, she got to her feet again. She wobbled, but remained upright long enough to wash up and change from her clothes into pajamas. She tossed her clothes in the laundry basket and got back in bed just as Gourry walked back in, Amelia on his heels. 

"Where's Lyos and Shizuri? Pancakes!" Lina snatched a plate and tore into the food. 

Amelia kept quiet as Lina plowed her way through one plate of food and started on a second. Gourry joined in with his unusual gusto, and their matching appetites was enough to either make someone want to join in the fray, or to run for the toilet gagging. Lina's hair had darkened back to its normal color, with no signs that she had started to dip into the lowest reserves of her magic. Not even during the fight with Hellmaster Fibrizo had this happen to her. 

When she first met her, Amelia idolized Lina. Not because of her sense of justice. That was dubious. It was because nothing fazed her at all. She took what life threw at her with a smile and returned it with a fireball. It was that sort of strength Amelia longed to have, especially after seeing both her father and older sister fall apart after the death of her mother. Despite her bad qualities, she couldn't had asked for a better friend than Lina. When it came right down to it, the sorceress didn't care that Amelia was a princess. Yes, it had its perks, but Lina liked Amelia for herself. At least, that's what Amelia thought. 

She clapped her hands together. "Gourry-san, did you tell Lina-san what you heard yet?" She frowned and sighed. "Gourry-san! Stop eating and tell Lina-san!" 

Amelia gauged her chances of snatching Gourry's plate from him and actually emerging unscathed when Lina decided to do it for her. He protested, she promptly inhaled the food and reclined, sated. "Ah, that was good," she said, patting her stomach. "What news do you have, Gourry?" 

His eyes lit up as the events came back to him. "We saw Xelloss!" 

"Xelloss?" Lina shot up, upsetting the tray. The dishes landed on the ground with a loud crash. "You saw Xelloss and you didn't tell me? Gourry! Amelia!" 

"You were out of it, Lina-san." Amelia sat on the foot of the bed. "Shizuri-san all but dragged you in here." 

Lina considered a biting retort, then decided that Amelia was right. She didn't even remember getting back to the inn with Shizuri. "All right. You saw Xelloss. What did he have to say?" 

"He said that my sword possibly survived the battle we had with Fibrizo and that it's where we last left it." Gourry got up from the table and sat on the bed next to Lina. 

"It's in Sairaag?" The thought of having to go back to that city didn't settle to well with Lina. It seemed that every time they went there, something catastrophic happened. "It's the only place where it could be." 

"Are we going to go after it, Lina-san?" Amelia asked. 

Lina's eyes met Gourry's. "It's your sword. Do you want to go for it?" 

"It's my family's. They may not care for it, but I do. If it's possible to get it back, I'd like to do so. But if not, I'm content with that as well." 

He had given up the sword in the pursuit to save her, swallowed into the darkness that was the Sea of Chaos as part of his sacrifice to win her back. Lina knew what that meant - he considered her to be more important than his family heirloom. He never complained about losing it, because of what he gained in return. It was because of that knowledge that she slid her hand across the bed, laid it on his. "Then we'll go get it back."


	5. The One Way to Blackmail Lina Inverse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we start to get more into the actual story behind Try. A lot of the dialogue from Filia was lifted straight from the second episode of Try. Where the changes came in included the part between Lina and Gourry. I never understood why Lina opened herself that much to Filia after just meeting her and taking a big emotional hit from her. While it does seal Filia as a member of the fellowship, I thought the role of comforter should had been played by Gourry or Amelia.

Lina announced the decision to go search for the Sword of Light over lunch and followed it up by briefly explaining some of the sword's properties and how it had been passed down through Gourry's family from the original Swordsman of Light, who used it to defeat the beast Zanaffar many years ago.

This intrigued Lyos. "You had such a cool sword and you lost it?" he asked Gourry incrediously. "How stupid can you be?" 

"I didn't lose it. I gave it up for someone more important." Gourry's eyes met Lina's and held for a moment before she blushed and looked away, then started shoveling food in at a faster pace. He smiled and kept eating. 

"So, the eldest son in your family inherits the sword?" Shizuri leaned her elbow on the table. 

He paused to chew his food before answering. "Usually. I'm the second son." 

"Did your brother die?" 

He shrugged. "He's alive as far as I know. I took the sword and ran away from home when I was 17." Gourry smiled at Shizuri. "It's not something I want to talk about though, if you don't mind." 

Curious now more than ever, Shizuri let the subject drop. "So, how long does it take to get to this Sairaag?" 

Amelia took over that part of the conversation while Lina glanced at Gourry. He kept eating as if nothing had happened, but she wondered what exactly the situation was with his family. Did his brother know the Sword of Light was out there? If so, could he possibly come for it? She thought back over everything Gourry had told her about his family. He mentioned he left home at 17, but didn't mention his brother. What happened in the Gabriev family regarding the Sword of Light? 

She glanced down as her plate started to inch away from her. "Gourry," she growled. 

The plate stilled and she snatched it back. "You are such an idiot," she informed him and kept eating, but faster. It was enough that she loved him. He shouldn't expect her to give up her precious food to boot! 

"The thing that bugs me is that this guy's a Mazoku, right?" Lyos jabbed at his sausage and waved it at Lina. "He's one of them. Why would you trust him?" 

"I don't trust him." Lina tore off a hunk of roll and waved it back at Lyos. "If Xelloss had told me, I wouldn't had believed a word of it. He instead to tell the two most gullible members of the party, our resident jellyfish and the justice-loving princess. Oh, and you, but he doesn't know you." 

"Lina-san! I'm not gullible," Amelia protested. 

"Anyhow, Xelloss told you about the Sword of Light for one of two reasons. Either he's using us to confirm a rumor about the weapon or he wants us to do the dirty work of retrieving it for him. 

Lyos pushed away from the table. "I'm heading to the washroom. When are we leaving?" 

"We can head out after lunch," Lina told him in between bites. 

On his way back out of the washroom a few minutes later, Lyos glanced out the window that was over the washbasin. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, then stared out the window once more. Then he ran back to the table. 

"I thought you killed that thing with your Dragon Slave!" he yelled at Lina, jabbing his finger at the window. 

Lina took a bite of chicken and rolled her eyes. "I did. Why?" 

"Because it's back!" 

The chicken dropped to her plate. "No way!" She sprang from the table, raced to one of the windows. Lyos spoke the truth. The same golden dragon was outside, heading straight for the city. With a muttered oath, she ran back and threw several gold coins on the table. "The dragon's back," she called out as she raced outside. The rest of the group quickly abandoned their meal and followed. 

She knew her Dragon Slave had hit the dragon. Lina raced through the streets of Atlas City, barely sensing the others behind her. Not many beings could take a hit from an amplified Dragon Slave and emerge unscathed. She wasn't sure she could get close enough with a Ragna Blade to try that again. Was she going to have to fall back on the Airlord's power after all? 

She reached the outskirts of the city just as the dragon started to descend. It appeared to be heading for some sort of clearing. She veered off the road, discovered a small dirt path. The clang of Gourry's armor let her know that her group was still keeping up with her. 

She emerged through the foliage just as the dragon touched the ground, then was bathed in an immense, golden glow. She shielded her eyes, but watched as the dragon took on the form of a person. When the light died away, the dragon was no longer there. 

But Filia was. 

Suddenly, everything made sense - including Gourry seeing a tail beneath Filia's skirts. 

Lina wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or lose her temper. The second option sounded much more appealing. 

"Is it just me, or did that dragon turn into a woman?" Shizuri asked. 

"You're the illusionist, you tell us," Lyos replied. 

"Still, I've never seen anything quite like it before!" she snapped at him. 

"I'm so confused," Amelia moaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. 

Filia produced a tablecloth from her robes and spread it over a nearby stump. She followed with a pot of hot tea. She set out saucers, cups and filled them. Then she gestured to the stunned group to sit around her makeshift table. 

Once they'd done so, Filia took a sip of her tea and sighed with pleasure. "I wish that we had some delicious cookies to go along with this. Homemade would be best. With this type of tea, definitely a regular sugar cookie will suffice. Chocolate chip would be much too heavy." She studied them, noticed that their attention was on her rather than the tea. "I'm so sorry. Is this a type that you don't like? Is there one that you would prefer?" 

Lina slammed her fist on the table. "What is going on here? Who the hell are you anyhow? What do you want us for? First, you act all coy and shy, and then you tried to attack Atlas City! For all we know, you could have been the cause behind the explosion at the Sorcerer's Guild!" 

Filia frowned. "What's a Sorcerer's Guild? I'm sorry, I was in the city when the explosion happened, but I assure you that I had nothing to do with it." She took another sip of her tea and her smile melted into a serious look. "As for what I'm here for, it's something very important." 

She placed the tea cup back on the table. "In the area that you call 'the outer worlds,' I am a priestess to the Flarelord." 

"Flarelord?" Lina repeated. 

"Do many of your people there worship the Flarelord?" Shizuri asked. "I am in service to the Aqualord in the country of Kunan. So is Lyos over there. He's the Knight of Aqualord." 

"I'm not sure about the humans, nor have I heard of this Kunan, but my tribe of golden dragons do worship Flarelord," Filia replied. "As I understand, there's more golden dragons who worship Aqualord in these lands." 

"That's right, in the Kataart Mountains." Lina decided to try a sip of the tea and frowned at the bitter taste. She'd never been one for tea. 

"So there really was a tail under your skirt," Gourry pointed out. 

Filia blushed and pressed her fists to her chin. "I'm sorry. I've not turned human very much and I'm not used to it yet. Sometimes, my tail still shows." 

"Milgasia-san could also turn into a human. He's the dragon who helped us in the Kataart Mountains," Amelia commented. 

"High-level dragons can usually turn human quite easily. Tails and other stuff aside, why would a dragon priestess attack us?" Lina asked. 

"As I said earlier, I had to test your power." 

Lina half rose from her seat. "You could have destroyed the entire city by doing that!" 

"If I can remind you, Lina-san, I led you away from the city in order for you to cast the spells that you needed without harming anyone else. I only used my spells on the debris that already existed. Besides, if you couldn't handle that simple battle, you certainly can't handle what I'm about to set before you." 

Filia clasped her hands and rested them on the table. "You must follow a prophecy that foretells destruction. Several weeks ago, during our morning meditations, we received a prophecy at the Flarelord temple. 'There shall come a controller of a Darkstar, who calls forth the light and the world shall be flooded with darkness. Dragon's blood shall spread and following the power between light and darkness, a single star shall be awakened. Around the star shall spin five lights and the power shall be darker than twlight and brilliant beyond the dawn. When the power is loosed, we shall fall to an arrow which will split the heavens apart," so the prophecy says." 

Lina's mind automatically began to sort the words of the prophecy out. Some of the incantations were part of the Dragon Slave spell and other high-powered White magic. Other than that, she was lost about it as well. 

"What the hell does that mean?" Lyos asked. 

"The first part, about the world being flooded with darkness, means that we face a great danger," Filia explained. "We think the part referring to the power between light and darkness could be talking about humans." 

It started to make sense. Lina stared down into her teacup. "Those who aren't Mazoku or Shinzoku, in other words, humans. Though, it could describe Ryuuzoku as well." 

"We thought of that as well," Filia acknowledged. "But we determined that those lines were more than likely referring to humans than the Ryuuzoku race. The rest we haven't been able to figure out. We decided that it was wise to set out to find a human that was powerful enough to handle this. This was about six months ago." 

Lina took a thoughtful sip of her tea and started to laugh. "Wait a minute! You're telling me that some strange prophecy has the world in danger and suddenly I'm it's representative for the human race? Thanks, I'm flattered!" 

Filia winced. "Well...not exactly. See, you're the stand-in." 

Lina slammed her fists on the table, fury racing through her. "What the hell do you mean, stand-in? Didn't you just say that you had to choose the most powerful human there is?" 

"Impressively large ego aside, Lina does have an incredible magical capacity," Shizuri commented. "She received Airlord's power not that long ago, and she pulled out some very powerful stuff in the fight against you." 

"We were searching for you as well, Lina-san, but you had gone away from this continent," Filia explained. "Our first choice knew where you were and informed us as to your whereabouts." 

A small ball of dread began to form in Lina's stomach. Not that many people had known that she and Gourry had been in Kunan for the past year. Amelia's family, of course. And her own... 

"Not to mention," Filia continued, "that our first choice said she was too busy with her part-time job to be bothered and to go seek you out, Lina-san. After testing your power, I am quite confident that the five of you will be able to do this job well." 

Lina jumped to her feet. "You've got to be kidding! We nearly just got our asses kicked by Mazoku in Kunan and now you're asking us to go risk our lives again for some stupid prophecy? We've got bigger issues on our hands, Filia! You call me a stand-in and expect me to go running to your rescue?" 

Filia gave her a patient smile. "You won't accept the mission?" 

"Of course I won't!" Lina screamed, gripping the rock-surfaced table so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Why don't you go back to your first choice?" 

"Well, she said that you might be against it." Filia reached into her cloak and pulled out a letter. "So she gave me this letter to give to you." 

Lina accepted it and tore into it, Amelia and Gourry peering over her shoulder. She scanned the handwriting and all the color drained from her face. "Oh no..." 

"Lina-san?" Amelia placed a hand on her arm. 

"She looks like she's going to pass out," Shizuri noted. 

Sweat began to roll down Lina's face. "Your...your first choice. She wouldn't happen to be a waitress, would she?" 

Filia kept smiling. "That is correct." 

Lina sucked in a quick gasp of air and began to shake. Gourry and Amelia both recoiled from her slightly as Shizuri and Lyos rose form their seats. 

"Lina?" Gourry asked. 

"Lina-san, are you all right?" Amelia started to ask, but was cut off by a sudden shriek from Lina. 

"No!" she yelled, tearing off into the forest for the nearest cave. She dashed inside, using a spell to quickly seal up the entrance, then started to dig a very deep hole for herself. "No, no, no, no, no!" she screamed as she dove in the hole and sealed it behind her. 

The others reached the cave just the last rumblings of Lina's spells subsides. Gourry pounded his fist against the walled-up entrance. "Lina! What's wrong?" 

"No!" Lina's hollowed voice came from deep within the cave. 

Shizuri stepped forward and felt something crunch under feet. She glanced down, noticed the letter that Lina had flung aside in her hasty exit from the negotiation table. She picked it up. "What a simple letter. I don't recognize the language though. Can you read it, princess?" 

Amelia accepted the letter. "It is a simple letter. All it reads is, 'Shut up and do it. Sis.'" 

"Sis?" Lyos asked. "Lina has a sister?" 

"One a couple years older than her," Gourry replied. 

Shizuri clutched her stomach. "The thought of two Inverses wandering this world makes me ill." 

"She's going to kill me!" Lina shrieked from within the cave. 

Amelia swallowed and paled. "Kill her?" 

"Luna-san did say that if Lina-san didn't perform this task that she would be punished very badly," Filia acknowledged. 

"It's hard to imagine Lina having a sister that she's scared of," Lyos commented. "I wonder what type of person she's like?" 

Gourry gave Lyos a weak smile, remembering how not long after they first met, Lina had told him a story about her sister's "punishments." "Let's just hope we never find out, huh?" 

"Sis, forgive me!" Lina wailed from inside her makeshift tomb. "Forgive me!" 

\----- 

She sat alone, a small creek gurgling a few feet away. Her knees were drawn up, her face buried in them. Her body shook every so often with sobs as she relived old, painful memories. She jerked when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, then relaxed when she realized who they belong to as they moved up to ruffle her hair. 

Gourry patted Lina and sat next to her, gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?" 

She lifted her face so he could see the reddened eyes and the tears that still rolled down her cheeks. "That stupid Filia. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She caused all of this." 

"Is your sister really that scary?" 

"Let's just say that I had a much easier time facing Hellmaster Phibrizzo than I did facing her armed with a bamboo stick." Lina swiped at her nose with the back of her hand. 

Gourry produced a handkerchief and handed it over, waited while she used it. "Are we going to take the job?" 

Lina balled the handkerchief in her hands. "I don't have a choice. If my sister tells me to do something, I have to do it." She slanted him a look. "Didn't that ever happen with your brother?" 

He drew up his own legs, let his arms dangle over his knees. "I really don't like to think about him." He turned his face to the sky and closed his eyes. "He's five years older than me and mean as hell. Not mean in the way you are at times, but mean in the sense of that he truly isn't a nice person. When my father was dying, he was already planning to sell the Sword of Light to the highest bidder. I didn't want to see that happen, so I stole it and left." 

There had to be more to it, Lina realized. But she didn't press him. She was surprised that she'd gotten as much out of him as she did. 

He smiled at her. "I know I turned around and lost it myself, but I think it was for a higher purpose than just money." 

She shifted uncomfortably, embarrassed. It seemed to be a running theme today, being reminded that Gourry sacrificed the Sword of Light to get her back from the Lord of Nightmares. She decided the next person to mention it was going to get a Burst Rondo. 

"Still, you've got a lot more respect for your sister than I ever did for my brother," Gourry continued, seemingly unaware of Lina's embarrassment. "If he asked me to do something like this, I wouldn't do it. You will because she asked you to." 

"Ordered me to," she corrected him, then turned her gaze back to the creek. "Still, someone as strong, smart and crazy as my sister thinks I'm the best person to do this job, then whatever's out there must really scare her." 

"Don't worry." He gave her a warm smile. "We've gone through a lot together. Something like this should be simple after the things we've seen. I'm sure you'll do just fine." 

Her eyes softened. He'd told her the same thing shortly before she headed to the Tower of Wind and gave her the same feeling of immense well-being and support, along with something else that she hadn't been able to identify at the time as love. She rewarded him with a smile, one that made him feel more content than he had since they witnessed the explosion. He started to move closer to her just as she angled her head, her hand reaching up to cup his face. 

"Does this mean you'll take the job?" 

They sprang apart. Placing a hand on the ground behind her, Lina turned to see Filia, Amelia, Shizuri and Lyos. She wondered how long they'd been standing there and decided that for everyone's sake, she was better off not knowing. "Yes, I'll take the job. But on one condition." 

She got to her feet, crossed her arms over her chest. "We take a side trip immediately to Sairaag. It's about a two-day walk from here. There's a rumor that the Sword of Light is among the ruins there, a rumor that we got from a...reliable source." If one could call Xelloss reliable, she thought. "That sword belongs to Gourry, and we want to get it back." 

"Sairaag? Lina-san, we need to go to my temple to speak with the Elder there, not head to some other village," Filia protested. "With the prophecy and the amount of time that's been wasted, we need to return to my lands as soon as possible." 

Lina frowned at her. "Filia, I'm not going back on my word. But finding Gourry's sword is just as important, if not more so." 

"That's true," Amelia agreed with a firm nod. "Gourry-san is Lina-san's most important person. She'll do anything for him!" 

"Amelia!" 

"Love will always triumph in the end!" Amelia pumped a fist in the air. 

Lina buried her face in her hands. "Are you finished mortifying me yet?" 

"No, we could probably think of more methods of embarrassing you," Shizuri's eyes sparked with mischief. "Like pointing out how the two of you were about to kiss when we arrived here." 

Lina's face turned pink and magic started to well up in her fingers. "Shi-zu-ri!" 

"Calm down, Lina!" Gourry sprang to his feet and caught Lina's arms. 

"I'm not going to calm down! Let me go! I'm going to blast her!" 

Lyos slid his gaze over to Filia, who looked like she couldn't decide whether or not to be amused at the situation. "Are you sure you want to hire Lina for this job? It's not to late to change your mind, you know." 

They were indeed an odd bunch of people. Filia raised an eyebrow as Lina kicked out, then back, catching Gourry in the groin. He fell to the ground like a rock and Lina took off after both Shizuri and Amelia. 

"I think, Lyos-san, it will be a most extraordinary experience."


	6. A Living Nightmare

_Town of Mythil, Empire of Lyzeille  
Three days after Filia hired Lina Inverse and her group_

Filia ul Copt had patience instilled in her from a very young age. She knew that in order to get what she wanted, she would have to remain calm and negotiate. But the group of people sitting around her shoveling down food as if it was their last day on the planet made set her teeth on edge and growl in frustration. 

She never said she was good at being patient. 

Lina shoved a couple bites of roast beef in her mouth before casting a glance across the table at her. "What's wrong, Filia?" 

Filia's hands curled into fists. "I graciously allowed you time to make a trip to this...Sairaag place to help Gourry-san. Instead, all we've done is stop three times a day and eat an hour at a time! Do you people ever do anything other than eat?" 

"We sleep!" Gourry supplied helpfully. 

Lina waved her fork at Filia. "Don't be in such a rush. It's not like anything has happened regarding that prophecy of yours. Besides, if the Sword of Light really is in Sairaag, believe me, we'll need it. 

"The explosion in Atlas City?" Shizuri asked. "Do you think that's connected?" 

"It's possible, yes." Lina immediately stabbed the back of Gourry's hand with her fork. "Get your fingers out of my food, jellyfish!" 

He jerked back his hand with a hiss of pain. "Lina!" 

Shizuri sipped at her tea, doing her best to ignore the Lina and Gourry road show. "It does sound a bit fishy though, Filia-san. It's one thing to believe a prophecy, but we haven't seen anything come out of it yet. Granted, that one city was partially destroyed, but there isn't enough evidence to link it to what you told us." 

"Prophecies aren't weather forecasts, Shizuri-san," Filia replied in a frosty tone that caused Shizuri stiffen her spine. "We just can't make them come true instantly." 

Shizuri drew herself to her full height and stared down her nose at Filia. "Filia-san, I am in service to Zasu-sama, high priest of Aqualord. Believe me, we at the Aqualord temple are aware of the nature of prophecies. We also make sure there is firm evidence behind those prophecies before saddling them with outsiders, not to mention insulting those who you wish to help them. I would check your demeanor and be patient." 

Filia slowly rose from her seat and gripped the edge of the table. "You have no right to speak to me that way." 

Shizuri followed suit, her nose almost butting into Filia's. "I have every right to speak to you that way, because someone needs to knock some sense into that pretty little head of yours." 

Lyos, who sat between the women, sucked in a breath and held it for a moment. "Hey, don't you think you two are taking this a bit too far?" 

Lina suddenly shoved her chair back from the table, the scrapping noise snapping both women from their argument. She turned her back on them, halfway tempted to knock some sense into both of them. Instead, she reached for her cloak. "This is the last inhabited town before Sairaag. Since we're done eating, I think it's a good time, don't you, Gourry?" 

He nodded and grinned at her and got to his feet as well. 

Filia clasped her hands with joy. "You're going to run into this Sairaag place, get the sword and come back so we can all head to the Flarelord's temple?" 

Lina ignored her. "It's time for dessert!" she proclaimed, stabbing a finger in the air. 

"Yes!" Gourry cried, pumping his own fist. 

"No!" Filia wailed and sank into her seat. 

With a laugh, Lina and Gourry took off, leaving Shizuri, Lyos and Filia. Shizuri and Filia glanced at each other, then faced the opposite direction with a snort. "I'm going to go find the princess," Shizuri announced. "You stay here with Miss Know-it-All Priestess, Lyos." 

"Fine by me," Filia sniffed. 

Lyos sighed. "I didn't come all this way to be a dragon's babysitter." 

\----- 

A few feet away from the inn, Lina spotted a dessert shop they had visited before and dragged Gourry toward it. "We'll get something to eat here and continue on into Sairaag" she explained as she pushed the door open. 

They ordered most of the items on hand and and settled at a table outside of the shop to eat. The spot gave them a good view of the public road, the one that led straight to Sairaag. Lina had devoured three cookies before the memories of when she last came through this town started coming back. 

Well, it wasn't that bad of a memory. Somehow, everyone had managed to come out of the fight with Hellmaster Phibrizzo alive and had come back here to recuperate and celebrate. It was punctuated by Martina and Zangulus showing up and announcing their engagement. It was at that time that Martina urged Lina to be true to her own feelings for a second time. 

She stared at the pile of food in front of her. "Hey, Gourry?" 

"Hmm?" He took a large bite out of a pear. 

She frowned and fiddled with her cookie. These emotional discussions still made her feel odd, but she had to know. "Do you feel strange about going to Sairaag?" 

"No. Why, should I?" 

She glanced up, surprised. Gourry's eyes held mild curiosity, but none of the turmoil that had been going through her own mind since they left Atlas City a couple days earlier. Filia had been right about one thing. They had been going a lot slower than the trip normally took. Lina stared at her hands once more. The closer they got to Sairaag, the further she wanted to be from it. She growled and curled her hand into a fist. It was stupid. Childish. She shouldn't be afraid of a city! She was Lina Inverse! She wasn't scared of anything! 

But she could still close her eyes and see the crystal containing Gourry's inert body shattering. 

_She would have to cast the Giga Slave. There was no other way around it. She would have to, to save him, to save all of them. There was no other choice. She couldn't imagine her life without him in it._

Gourry started to turn his attention back to his food when he noticed the color drain from Lina's face. Her eyes were empty and focused on some random point in the distance, yet her hands shook. A tear slid down her cheek, followed by another. 

Carefully, he set his food down. "Lina? Are you okay? Lina!" 

"You, who is darker than darkness; You, who are deeper then night." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Energy crackled and began to gather around her body. 

Gourry stared at her for a moment, frantically trying to place the spell. A memory slammed into him, of being trapped and of watching her doing this very same thing while pleading with whatever consciousness he had left for her not to risk it. Giga Slave... 

"You, the floating one, the Sea of Chaos..." 

He vaulted out his seat, upsetting the table and the rest of the food in the process. He grabbed her arms. "Lina, stop it! Wake up, Lina!" 

Tears continued to trickle down her cheeks. Her body vibrated beneath his hold as the power gathered inside of her. She didn't know what she was doing, he realized. He shook her, hard. "Lina! Please! You're safe!" 

He heard voices yelling at him, the sound of feet pounding toward them. He didn't care. He had to get Lina to wake up, to stop the spell. He shook her again. "Lina!" 

"The golden king of darkness. Here I implore you, here I pledge myself to you..." 

Gourry quickly raced through his options. He could try slapping her, but he couldn't bring himself to strike Lina like that in this situation, especially since shaking wasn't working to begin with. The power swirled around them and started to pound at his own body. He held her arms, so it was quite possible she wouldn't finish it. Even so, he had to get her to stop talking. He could muffle her mouth with his hand, or... 

"That to those fools who..." Lina's voice cut off as Gourry covered her mouth with his. 

The power started to dissipate as the spell dissolved, but Lina was still dreadfully still in his arms. He wrapped them fully around her now, held her close, knowing he was damned to hell and the largest fireball she could muster once she realized they were in the middle of a public street. But that didn't matter now. He just wanted her to wake up. He wanted his Lina back. 

After a moment, she stirred, then suddenly grabbed him. She clung to him as tight as she could, returning the kiss and stirring another memory inside of him of a similar kiss, a similar desperation. She eased back and appeared to come to her senses, glancing around at the overturned table, the spoiled food and then noticed the small crowd around them. 

Lina took several deep breaths and tried to steady herself. She sat limply back in her chair, dazed and a little bit confused. The last thing she remembered was being in Hellmaster Phibrizzo's lair and casting the Giga Slave. No, no, she told herself. Phibrizzo's been dead for 18 months. Then why did... 

"Lina-san, are you okay?" 

Lina looked up when she felt Amelia's hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine, Amelia," she replied in a shaky voice. "I'm just...that was..." Unconsciously, she reached out and Gourry grabbed her hand. "That was strange," she acknowledged. 

"You were casting the Giga Slave, Lina-san," Amelia informed her gently. 

Lina shot out of her seat. "I did what?" 

"You were trying to cast the Giga Slave. Gourry-san was trying to stop you and he finally kissed you to do so." 

"You did what?" Now Lina turned on Gourry. "We were in the middle of a public street!" 

"Would you rather have killed us?" he shot back at her, more than a little shaken himself. 

Lina started to respond, then caught the addition of someone new standing behind Gourry. Her jaw fell open and she collapsed into her seat once more, not prepared to face this. "Sy...Sy..." 

Gourry pivoted, Lina's hand still in his. "Sylphiel!" 

\----- 

Even though the kingdom of Lyzeille had seen its fair share of odd people passing through since the Mazoku barrier was destroyed, the two making their way to Sairaag still caused a lot of unwanted attention. Or, maybe it wasn't their size, but the fact that two such dissimilar creatures were in each other's company willingly. 

The taller figure looked like an orc, the smaller a fox. The fox held a map, which he used to plot their location every so often. 

"How much longer, Jillas?" the taller one complained. "This is starting to look like a fool's mission." 

"We should be no more than a half day's walk from the site, Gravos." The fox informed him. "Valgaav-sama wouldn't send us on a fool's mission, you know that. He said that splitting up is the best way to get ahold all five of those weapons. He said that one of those have been spotted near this Sairaag place." 

"Just like he said one of the others was near that Atlas City place we were just at," Gravos pointed out. "But that weapon's gone, whatever it was. We've got to find this one." 

Among the leafy tree branches a few feet in front of them, Xelloss took a sip of tea and gave the travelers a cryptic smile. So he was right about someone else going after the weapons as well. With any luck, Lina and her group were also on their way to Sairaag. It would be a race to see who would locate Gorun Nova, no the Sword of Light, first. 

Lina's group would have the advantage over the two newcomers, for they knew the kay of the land. And, if for some reason that Jillas and Gravos got ahold of the sword before Lina's group did, well...Xelloss smirked. It would be no problem to simply lift the weapon from them. But it would also mean reworking his plan a bit, and he hated to do that. The weapon would be more useful in Gourry Gabriev's hands at the moment. No, he needed to have Lina and her group intercept them and draw out the battle just enough to get all the pieces in place. 

Speakings of Lina and her group, it was probably a good time to check in on them. Xelloss finished his tea and headed back to the Astral Plane. 

\----- 

"They're not that bad once you get to know them." Feeling generous, Lyos signaled for a refill of both his and Filia's teacups. "They're definitely a bit...strange. But not that bad." 

"I just wish they would take things seriously," Filia sighed. Her gaze dropped to her newly filled cup. "We've been waiting for so long already. Part of me wonders if we're running out of time, or if I've even gotten the right person." 

Lyos' eyes took on a faraway expression. "If there's one thing I can't doubt, it's that Lina Inverse is extremely powerful. I think she's even more powerful than me and I'm the Knight of Aqualord. Then again, she can do magic, which is something entirely different from the power that I have." 

Filia started to take a sip of her tea, then cocked her head to one side. "There's a lot of yelling going on out there." 

Lyos glanced up and noticed energy crackling through the window. He half-rose from his seat. "Something's going on." 

Filia followed Lyos' gaze, then jumped up from her chair. "Look! It's Lina-san!" 

They raced outside just in time to see Gourry haul Lina into his arms and kiss her. As he did so, the magical energy surrounding them died away. Partly out of embarrassment, they looked away and noticed to see Amelia, Shizuri and a third woman running toward them. 

Amelia approached Lina's side and bent to talk to her. Shaken, Shizuri turned to them. "Did you see what happened?" she asked. 

"No, we just felt an incredible surge of energy," Filia replied, her earlier disagreement with Shizuri pushed to the side. 

"She was casting some strange spell and..." 

"I did what?" Lina shrieked in response to Amelia's words. 

"What sort of spell?" Lyos asked. 

Before he could get an answer, he saw Lina collapse into her chair, stammering out a name. Gourry whirled around, his eyes locking on the third woman who had come running up with Amelia and Shizuri. "Sylphiel!" 

A slim woman with hair as dark as Amelia's stepped forward. She was dressed in a tunic and leggings that reminded Lyos of the style he had seen other women wear in this country, the normal garb of shrine maidens as Amelia had explained. Like Lina and Amelia, she wore her hair loose so it tumbled down her back. Her eyes, large and expressive, took in the scene before her. Shock, dismay and some resignation crossed her features before managing a smile. "Gourry-sama. Lina-san. It's been awhile." 

Lyos' face grew flush and he averted his gaze quickly. _She's beautiful..._

Shizuri flicked a glance over her shoulder at Lyos, a smile slowly growing. There's hope yet, she thought, before turning her attention back to the current situation. 

They stared at each other for a minute, Lina, Gourry and Sylphiel. This was the moment of reckoning, but it wasn't how she would had chosen to do so. Lina got to her feet again, her hand still in Gourry's. "Yes, it has been awhile, Sylphiel. What brings you here?" 

"Well, it's been several years since...that day," Sylphiel replied, her voice dropping nearly to a whisper. "We've been holding a remembrance ceremony for Sairaag's destruction every year and I'm on my way there to do so for this year." 

"We're on our way there as well, Sylphiel-san!" Amelia gave her the biggest smile in her arsenal. "It's no use for you to travel alone. Why not go with us?" 

"I don't know," Sylphiel hesitated, looking over at Lina and Gourry once more. 

Gourry grinned. "It'll be good to have you with us. It'll be great to have your cooking again." 

Lina gaped at him. Was he really that clueless? Could he honestly not see what was going on here? She was halfway tempted to shake some sense into him. Instead, she pulled her hand away from his and placed it on her hip. "It's up to you, Sylphiel. We've got a big group already. One more's not going to matter." 

Without much fuss, Sylphiel accepted and quickly turned her attention to meeting Shizuri and Lyos and getting her things. A low headache settled behind Lina's temples and she knew it was going to remain that way for the next part of the trip. It wasn't that she didn't like Sylphiel, in fact she did very much. But the fawning all over Gourry that tended to accompany her presence grated on her nerves and especially now, it would be really awkward. 

With each passing moment, the decision to go speak with Filia's elder at the Flarelord temple immediately sounded more and more appealing. But she had made this promise to Gourry, and more importantly, she owed it to him for the part he did in bringing her back from the Lord of Nightmares. Not to mention, that's what you do for someone you love, right? Lina grumbled. Things were much simpler when emotions weren't involved. 

That night, on the outskirts of Sairaag, Lina made a point of situating her bedroll on the very edge of the group - and as far away from the men as she possibly could. Her head aching viciously, she pleaded exhaustion and crawled into her bedroll as soon as she could. She sprawled facedown and wished for a dream, any sort of dream, to take her away. 

After a bit, Lina felt a cool hand on her head, then a spell washing through her body. The ache disappeared and she looked up to see Sylphiel kneeling by her side. 

She drew her hand away, pressed it to her breast. "You looked like you were in pain, Lina-san. I'm sorry if I'm intruding." 

"No, no, you're fine," Lina grumbled. She did feel a lot better, she couldn't begrudge her for that. Damn it, she could never stay upset with Sylphiel for very long. 

Sylphiel allowed her hand to drop to her lap. Slowly, they both curled into fists before relaxing slightly. "I...I...you and Gourry-sama. How long has it been?" 

She deserved nothing less than the truth. "A few weeks. We traveled to another continent, to a country called Kunan. It happened there, though I suppose unofficially for awhile now." 

Lina pulled herself into a sitting position. She wasn't about to apologize for it and on two occasions, Sylphiel had made overtones about her interest and wanting to know her own motives. Now they were out there. 

Sylphiel's gaze drifted over to Gourry, where he still sat by the fire talking to Amelia and Shizuri. "Lina-san, I've been thinking about this for a very long time. It's a very complicated matter." 

Lina scratched at her cheek absently. "It's not really..." 

"I just want to know one thing." Sylphiel swung her attention back to Lina. "Is he happy?" 

"Aaah...that's probably something you should be asking Gourry, Sylphiel." 

Sylphiel's eyes hardened and she leaned in a little closer. "Okay then. Are you happy?" 

"Huh?" Lina gave Sylphiel a blank stare. "Am I happy?" 

She nodded. "Yes. Are you happy?" 

"Umm...," Lina stared at her knees and noticed the worn spots in her leggings. She needed to get more, these had been her spare after the fight with Hureika. She took a few deep breaths and mulled it over. Was she happy? For the first time, she allowed her own gaze to drift to the fire, then the man sitting beside it. After a moment, she smiled. "I suppose I am." 

Sylphiel smiled. "Good. That's all I want." Before Lina could stop it, Sylphiel had thrown her arms around her and gave her a quick, hard hug. "Then I want nothing but happiness for the both of you," she whispered before pulling away. 

She sat back on her haunches. "I know we...I know that I...," she took a deep breath. "In the end, I just want him to be happy. And I want you to be happy too, Lina-san. You're both very important to me." 

Lina's smile grew. "Thanks, Sylphiel." 

Sylphiel rejoined the others and Lina turned onto her side to get some sleep. She glanced up quickly, noticed spiky blue hair moving through the bushes. With a smirk, she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did want to explain a little of what is happening to Lina. She's going through post-traumatic stress disorder, something that can occur to people who have gone through major traumatic experiences - especially through a war. Of course, the Slayers cast doesn't know about it, nor will they figure it out. In a lot of cases, PTSD doesn't occur until six months to a year after the event has occured (it's been a year after Lina fought Phibrizzo and entered the Sea of Chaos) and can be triggered by encountering things that are associated with the traumatic event.


	7. Hide and Go Seek Among the Ruins

The once-grand city of Sairaag was little more than a heap of stone surrounded by deep pools of water. Moonlight glinted off the stone and made the ruins appear much older than the two and a half years since the city's fall at the hands of what was said to be one of the magic world's greatest users.

As they stepped off the road, Gravos hesitated. His eyes darted over the ruins as he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. With determination born of not wanting to be the object of Jillas' ridicule, he forced himself to walk beside his partner as if nothing was amiss. 

"Gravos, you look ready to piss yourself." 

The deep voice caused Gravos to emit a somewhat feminine shriek. He took off running, his goal the closest pillar that could conceal his massive bulk. He raced around it, clinging to the stone and whimpering like a child. His fingers tightened on the stone as he heard footsteps approach Jillas. 

Jillas simply rolled his eyes. "It's Valgaav-sama, you big chicken." 

Gravos peeked from behind the pillar, not quite sure if he wanted to believe Jillas or not. Jillas never really lied persay, but he couldn't be quite sure that he was telling the truth either. Not in this place. 

"Gravos, get out here. Now." 

He revealed his face slowly. Standing beside Jillas was a tall, gangly being. Moonlight turned his spiky hair into a blue beacon of light. A horn protruded from the middle of his head. His eyes were a bit too far away to be seen, but Gravos recognized the annoyed expression on the man's face. He emerged, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassment. 

"Since when did you become scared of your own shadow?" Valgaav asked as Gravos lumbered toward them. 

His cheeks reddened slightly. "You've...you've heard what they've said about this place, don't you? It's bewitched. I heard them talking about it in that last town we were in. The city was destroyed two and a half years ago, but then a year ago suddenly came back to life. Then it turned back into rubble. It's magic, I tell you, Valgaav-sama!" 

Valgaav rolled his eyes, halfway tempted to throttle him. "Gravos," he explained with more patience than he thought he possessed at the moment. "We are within the former Mazoku barrier. There are lots of powerful magic users here." He swept his hand behind him. "This is where Gaav came from. Humans here are capable of doing this type of stuff." 

"There's even this one girl who's known to be so deadly that even dragons avoid her," Jillas supplied helpfully. 

The corners of Valgaav's mouth rose slightly. "Ah, yes. Lina Inverse." 

Gravos immediately forgot his fear. "Do you know her, Valgaav-sama?" 

"Know her? Not yet. Know of her? Yes." Valgaav stepped away from them to survey the vast expanse of ruins. "You'll be enlightened to know that she is the direct cause of this ruin, both times it happened." He bit his lip hard. "She was also the one who murdered Gaav-sama." 

Valgaav pivoted and walked in-between Gravos and Jillas. He pointed to a swatch of woods not far from the ruins. "Your job is to attack the group making camp in the clearing straight down this path. Jillas. I need one of your bombs." 

He immediately passed one over. "What for, Valgaav-sama?" 

Valgaav held the weapon up and admired it. It was one of the smaller bombs, just sticks of dynamite tied together with a cord. But it would suit his purposes nicely. "Let's just say I'm going to be giving a certain woman a wake-up call. Go now. And Gravos, if I find you cowering behind one more ruin..." 

Jillas snickered. Gravos promptly kicked him. Stupid fox. The ruins weren't a threat now that Valgaav was with them. 

"In any case, after you hear my explosion, count to 100 and then attack." Without waiting for a response, Valgaav headed toward the largest pool among the ruins. 

Gravos scratched the top of his head and frowned slightly as he watched Valgaav walk away. "Say, Jillas?" 

Jillas absently rubbed behind his ear, not quite able to look his comrade in the eye. "Yeah, Gravos?" 

"Do you know how to count to 100?" 

"No. Do you?" 

"Nope." 

They exchanged nervous glances, then began to shuffle off toward the woods. 

\----- 

The night was quiet, peaceful. It was a time of year that Gourry enjoyed, when it wasn't that deep into fall. He folded his hands behind his head and gazed up at the stars. Soon, it would get cold. It didn't snow that much in this part of their lands, but it got colder than Lina liked. Once they were done in Sairaag, they would head south to a much warmer climate - Filia's lands. 

At the moment, there was no one chasing them - a very rare occurence since he initially met Lina four years earlier. He grinned as he remembered the very first day he was with her. Within the course of 18 hours, Lina had managed to Dragon Slave a village, cause destruction in a second one by trying to sell an enchanted knife to a shopkeeper and managed to get Zelgadiss on their trail trying to get the odd statue she had found. 

Gourry shifted, glanced over at the armor he had stacked up neatly not far from his bedroll. Normally, he slept in it. He'd grown used to it during his years as a mercenary and keeping watch over Lina required being on alert most of the time. When he and Lyos had gone down to the river to bathe, he'd chosen to keep it off, figuring that they would be okay for the night. 

He now regretted that decision. 

He closed his eyes, concentrated on the sounds in the forest. After a moment, he tossed aside the covers and reached for his sword. As quiet as he could, he crept toward the road. 

He heard the crack of a branch behind him as he stepped onto the well-packed dirt. Unsheathing his sword, he slowly pivoted and noticed Lina approaching him, pulling her gloves on. 

"What did you hear?" she asked quietly. 

He ignored her at first, straining to sort out the sounds in the dark. "Someone going down the road toward the ruins. No one usually travels this way at night. There's nothing to travel to." 

The branches crackled and when they pivoted, they spotted Shizuri coming through the bushes. She rolled her eyes at their battle stance. "At ease, you two. I saw you two walk off and figured it probably something a bit more than a lovers tryst." 

Gourry blinked and frowned for a moment before grinning. "Hey, I'd love an ice too! Though I think the weather's too cool to be getting one and we're a bit too far away from a village and..." 

"Don't even get started!" Lina growled at him and stalked past him, ready to cut off the absurd conversation. She would have to key Shizuri in on the proper times to introduce new words to Gourry's vocabulary, now not being one of them. "Let's head down toward..." 

The almost female shriek of the explosion shook the road with the force of an earthquake, causing all three of them to nearly lose their balance. Lina barely managed to regain her balance after a wild flailing of arms, accidentally smacking Gourry in the process. She spun around, hands positioned to cast a fireball. 

"Over there!" Shizuri yelled, pointing at the ruins down the road. "I see smoke!" 

"Let's move!" Figuring that the others would follow on their own, Lina grabbed Shizuri and Gourry and took to the skies via Raywing. 

Gourry flailed for a moment before firmly latching onto Lina's waist and whimpering. She scowled at him. "Don't be such a baby!" 

"Well, warn me next time before you pull a stunt like that!" he shot back at her. 

Shizuri slanted him a cool look out of the corner of her eye. "Are you sure you're not just doing that so you can get a close-up of her breasts?" 

Gourry mulled it over for a moment before turning so his nose bumped against said chest. "Well, you know, about the only way to tell that Lina's got any is to get this close up." 

Shizuri squinted. "You know, you're right! What size is that?" 

Gourry cupped Lina's breast, forgetting that they were in the air and that she was now as red as her hair. "Is there any size smaller than an A-cup?" 

"First time for everything..." 

"Off!" Lina screeched, bucking her hips so both Gourry and Shizuri lost their grips and they crashed to the ground. As soon as her boots touched the ground, she jerked a dazed Gourry up by his shirt front. "How would you like for me to cop a feel of the family jewels and tell everyone how big they are?" 

His head lolled to one side. "But, Lina, I don't have any of my family's jewels with me." 

She shook him harshly. "Not those! I mean your...oh, never mind!" She let him go and turned her back on him once he slithered back to the ground. 

As her companions got back to their feet, Lina surveyed the terrain. The last time she had been in Sairaag, it looked much like the first time she had been there - prior to Copy Rezo's destruction of the city. That had been an illusion of Hellmaster Phibrizzo's. After her and Gourry's return from the Sea of Chaos, they had departed quickly. None of them wanted to spend anymore time around there than necessary. 

Shizuri whistled low under her breath. "This looks like something out of a history book." 

Lina ignored her, choosing that moment to look behind her at the largest pool. Something began to twist in her gut as she approached the edge and peered down into its depths. She was willing to wager that she wouldn't see the bottom of its murky depths, even in broad daylight. Her hands slowly curled into fists. 

"Welcome to your nightmare, Lina Inverse!" 

The voice seemed to come out of nowhere and for a moment, she really thought she was having a nightmare. She slowly turned, prepared to meet her demons head on. She wasn't going to let anything conjured up by her own memories defeat her. 

She spotted the man on top of a nearby pillar at the exact moment that Gourry drew his sword, the sound of metal scraping the scabbard breaking her from her brief trance. He wasn't close enough for her to make out any facial features, but his spiky hair had enough height to rival Lyos. Unlike the younger knight, this person had a horn protruding through his head. The look he shot her was so full of immense hatred that it caught her off guard for a moment. Usually, people waited until after Lina opened her mouth in order to revile her. 

Power seemed to radiate from the man...or maybe he wasn't a man at all. "Are you a Mazoku?" she called out. 

"In a way," he smirked. He propped one foot upon a bit of fallen stone beside him. He rested his weight on that leg and leered at her. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Lina Inverse." 

Lina's lips curled into a sly smile. "It's nice to know that being away for a year hasn't diminished my reputation any." 

"It seems you're just as much of a smart-ass as they said you would be." Valgaav studied her intensely once again. "How did a little girl like you defeat Gaav-sama," he mummered, more to himself than for Lina's benefit. 

She was getting ready to tell him exactly where he could shove the words "little girl" when the rest of the sentence sank in. "Gaav... Who are you?" 

Valgaav rose fluidly to his feet. "I prefer to let this be my calling card." He held out his left palm, a ball of energy forming rapidly in it. He shot it at them. 

Lina threw herself aside just as the raging heat shot past. Quickly, she flopped onto her back and rose enough to see Gourry and Shizuri on the other side of the attack path. Her mind raced through memories of previous attacks. She'd felt this power before. 

Then it clicked. Jumping to her feet, Lina glared at him. "Are you one of Gaav's subordinates?" 

Valgaav lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Very good. I am Valgaav, one of the Mazoku privileged enough to serve Demon Dragon Gaav." 

_Demon Dragon Gaav._ The name clicked for Gourry as well. It was the one being that Lina couldn't defeat with that long, black magical sword of her, the Ragna Blade. He and Zelgadiss had been equally useless against the powerful Mazoku. 

"Ga...Gaav?" Shizuri grabbed Gourry's sleeve. "Wait a minute, one of the five subordinates of Shabranigdu? Lina fought him?" 

"We all did," he replied, shifting the sword so he could hold it with both hands. They needed to make it over to Lina's side, but could they do so without Valgaav noticing and attacking? 

"What the hell do you want from us?" Lina yelled at Valgaav. 

He responding by holding up his hand, another, larger ball of power forming in it. "You know what I want. To suffer the anguish that Gaav-sama did!" His gaze shifted away from Lina and he raised his hand to attack. 

Her heart leapt into her throat. "Gourry! Shizuri!" Lina raced the few feet to their side just as Gourry grabbed Shizuri and shielded her body with his. As Valgaav launched the attack, Lina managed to throw up a protection barrier. She braced, but the power of Valgaav's attack had her sliding back across the ground until she bumped into something solid. Gourry and Shizuri, she realized. She managed to crane her head at the two of them. "Don't move, or I won't be able to hold this!" 

Concentrating as hard as she could, Lina faced Valgaav once more. More than anything at the moment, she wished that Amelia or Zelgadiss were there to aid in the barrier. Hell, she'd even take Xelloss at the moment. _Oh, why can't that idiot Mazoku be here whenever you need him?_

A few feet away, Xelloss flickered into view and watched with a slight smile. Everything was going according to plan. 

\----- 

Amelia turned onto her side, opened her eyes and saw that Lina's bedroll was empty. She didn't think much of it. She rolled onto her other side and noticed that Shizuri's bedroll was empty as well. That was interesting. 

She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. She saw a heap of blankets that she assumed was Lyos on the other side of the fire. Filia slept a few feet away in another bedroll. Sylphiel sat near the fire, poking it with a stick to stir up the dying embers every so often. She looked so lost in thought that Amelia really didn't want to intrude, but... 

"Do you know where Lina-san and Shizuri-san are?" Amelia scanned the campsite. "Gourry-san's gone too." 

Sylphiel shook her head. "No. I just woke up myself. I couldn't sleep, and I saw Lina-san and Gourry-san head away from camp. Shizuri-san followed, but I figure she'll be back at any moment." 

Understanding dawned on Amelia. She crawled over to Sylphiel's side. It had to be rough for her at the moment, knowing that Lina and Gourry were finally together. She drew her knees up and stared vacantly into the fire. _To care for someone and not have them care for you back in the way you'd like for them to..._ Amelia bit her lip. 

During the trip to Kunan, Amelia resolved to place Zelgadiss in the category of her life labeled "childhood crush." She was his friend and she deeply cared about him and was quite positive that he returned those feelings in his own way. But his master at the moment was his cure, and she couldn't afford to spend her life waiting for him to either come to his senses or to actually find one. She was a princess. She had a responsibility to her people to carry out justice in the name of Saillune. 

The crack of sticks breaking on the ground drew Amelia from her thoughts and she glanced around. "Shizuri-san?" she called out. 

Something thumped on the ground beside her, a small bundle of burning sticks. Amelia leaned in to investigate. 

"Amelia-san! Get away from there!" 

Before Amelia was quite sure what had happened, Filia had sprung up from her bedroll and grabbed Amelia's cloak. She hauled her back until they were at the edge of the campsite. "Run!" she screamed to Sylphiel and Lyos, who had gotten to his feet. "That thing's going to explode!" 

Sylphiel stared wide-eyed at the burning sticks. Lyos dove at her, covering her with his body just as an explosion ripped through the camp. Amelia immediately cast a defensive barrier over herself and Filia, shielding them from the worst of the attack. When debris stopped raining down, she let the spell drop and gave Filia a warm smile. "Thank you, Filia-san. I owe you for that." 

"What was that?" Sylphiel stammered as Lyos shifted to let her up. 

"It's a weapon from my lands, called dynamite." Filia knocked the dirt from her skirts. "It's made with a substance known as gunpowder and creates an explosion. That one's a rather small one. One with enough power behind them can easily rip you apart." 

"It made quite a large noise for something you say is rather small," Sylphiel pointed out. 

Amelia scanned the area, then noticed smoke rising through the trees. "Over there! I see smoke!" 

"It's coming from Sairaag!" Sylphiel jumped to her feet and snatched up her cloak. 

They hurried quickly to the main road and ran toward the ruins. Amelia was pretty sure that was where Lina, Gourry and Shizuri had wound up. _Lina-san probably thought there was some sort of bandit group there. It would figure. Why else would she sneak away in the middle of the night?_

Lyos skidded to a stop, then drew Banisher. "Something's coming at us." 

\----- 

The barrier broke. 

The remaining pressure from the attack was just enough to where it picked up Lina and slammed her to the ground a few feet away. She shook off the stun and rolled to her feet. She was expecting another attack right away, but when Valgaav's gaze shifted to Gourry, she decided she had an opening to attack herself. She started to chant the full incantation for a fireball, pumping all the power she could into the spell. 

Before she could get the chant out, Valgaav changed focus and sent a stream of magic at her. In pure reflex, Lina shot the fireball toward him and tried to construct a shield, knowing it was too little, too late. She heard both Gourry and Shizuri yelling and braced herself to take the hit. 

Then nothing. 

Lina glanced up and nearly did a double take when she saw a very familiar Mazoku standing in front of her. "Xelloss!" 

Valgaav smirked. "Xelloss!" 

Xelloss smiled at him, an evil, twisted one that made Lina's blood run cold. "It looks like it's time for me to unveil myself, isn't it, Valgaav?" 

He lifted his index finger and cocked his head to one side as black swirls of power started to form around him, extending out to where they were almost touching Lina. Valgaav's eyes went bright as he began to emit the same red glow of energy that she had always associated with Gaav. 

Valgaav made the first move, leaping into the air and shooting an attack at Xelloss. Lina backed up as fast as she could, barely escaping the blast as it struck the ground right in front of Xelloss. Not that he cared at that moment. He disappeared and reappeared behind Valgaav, sending a stream of his own power at him. 

Explosions went off in a circle surrounding them and Lina realized she had her opening. She leaped into the air, casting Elmekia Lance as she did so. The spell slammed into Valgaav and he whirled around in time to see Gourry coming at him with his sword. 

Gourry swung and Valgaav eluded the attack, neatly dodging under the blade. He swung again and this time, Valgaav threw up his arm. "What makes you think you can do anything with an ordinary sword?" he taunted. 

"Don't count me out!" Gourry roared, with more anger than Shizuri had ever seen from him. "If you think I'm at a disadvantage because I have an ordinary sword, then you're dead wrong!" 

_Ordinary sword...ordinary sword..._ Shizuri frowned as she watched Gourry and Valgaav engage in an almost elegant, yet violent dance. The sword that Gourry currently held did contain some sort of magic. After all, he had used it to help defend Oren's village from the Mazoku. But this Sword of Light was suppose to be one of the most powerful weapons in their world. She started to scan the area. If Lina and Gourry were tied up in this, then she could help find the sword and surely that would take this Valgaav down. 

Before she could react, Gourry landed beside her and Lina raced up to him. 

Valgaav landed some distance away from them, his gaze flickering between Xelloss and Lina's group. "Working together, aren't you? Wouldn't I be the one at a disadvantage now?" 

Lina smirked. "So, you want to take us on one by one now? Gaav took on me and Gourry working together, along with Zel and Amelia. Shizuri equally has their power. Are you still willing to take us on?" 

Valgaav stared at her in disbelief. He shook his head and smiled slightly. "What an absurd proposal," he muttered, his smile growing wider. His gaze locked with Lina's. "Sounds like fun!" 

Xelloss lifted his staff, ready to strike. Lina, Gourry and Shizuri immediately shifted into defense stances. 

Valgaav faced Xelloss, energy radiating from his body once more. "Let's try it!" 

Before he could move, a series of explosions rocked the area, causing all of them to lose their balance. Lina crashed into Gourry, who wound up toppling into Shizuri. The three landed in a heap on the ground. They disentangled themselves to the point where they looked up and saw white and black streaks of light flashing in the air, then disappeared. 

Shizuri made it back to her feet first. "They disappeared!" 

Lina clutched onto her lifeline as hard as she could until the ground stopped shaking. "Is it over?" she asked, then noticed that she was grabbing Gourry's waist. Before she could shove him away, Xelloss reappeared in front of them. 

He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Oh my, how sad! How very sad! It looks like he managed to slip away from me again. It seems he'll be a difficult opponent to deal with." He gave a little sound of surprise. "Why Lina-san, Gourry-san! I didn't realize the two of you had gotten so close!" 

Lina shoved Gourry away from her and grinned at Xelloss. "Xelloss! Wow, you're not kidding! It must be fate!" 

Before any of them could move, Lina shot over to Xelloss' side and caught him in a headlock. "Now, what the hell do you think you're talking about, you perverted priest!" she yelled. "How many times are you going to play us for fools until we get ourselves killed in one of your hair-brained schemes?" 

Shizuri placed her hands on her hips and glanced at Gourry. "Does she do this to every guy she meets, or just the ones she likes?" 

Gourry laughed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well..." 

"So, you've figured it out?" Xelloss' sheepish voice drew them back to the conversation. 

"Of course I have!" Actually, she hadn't figured it out until just a few minutes ago, but Lina figured that Xelloss really didn't need to know that. She released the headlock just slightly. "You were going after Gaav, who was a traitor to the Mazoku. So it makes sense for you to be hunting Valgaav as well, who was his underling." 

"That's right," Xelloss acknowledged. "So he can avenge his master, Valgaav is after you, the one who killed Gaav." When he caught Lina's raised eyebrows, he chuckled. "Lina-san, it doesn't matter that Phibrizzo really killed Gaav. In Valgaav's eyes, you did it, and there'll be no changing that." 

"So, you used Lina as bait and made her come to Sairaag on a false rumor of the Sword of Light to lure him out and attack, right?" Shizuri asked. 

Xelloss switched his focus to her. "Well, actually, that rumor is true. The Sword of Light is here in Sairaag." 

"It is?" Lina and Gourry cried out together. 

Xelloss faded from Lina's hold and reappeared a few feet away from them. "A few months ago, while you were still traveling, Valgaav suddenly gained a lot of power and it's been nearly impossible to keep track of him." 

Lina frowned. "So, you're implying that he's got someone more powerful than Gaav backing him now?" 

"That remains to be seen," Xelloss said. "Not long after that, we obtained the news that the Sword of Light had been sensed in the remains of Sairaag and that Valgaav was looking for it. Since I figured that you and Gourry-san would be interested in knowing this little tidbit of news, I took the liberty of...arranging this exchange. Believe me, it's in both of our interests to have the sword in Gourry-san's hands at the moment, rather than Valgaav's." 

"If it's here, where is it?" Gourry asked, looking around the ruins once more. 

Xelloss smiled as he disappeared. "If I had to guess," his disembodied voice sounded over the three of them, "It'd probably be the place you lost it to begin with." 

"Where did you lose it?" Shizuri asked Gourry. 

He started to reply, then noticed Lina staring at the largest pool of water out of the entire ruins. Things shifted into place as he saw the slightly vacant look in her eyes. Without answering Shizuri, he moved to her side and stared at the same pool. 

"It's in there, isn't it?" he commented softly. 

Lina nodded. "I'm willing to stake everything I have on it. That's where Flagoon used to be. It's got to be there." 

Shizuri approached them. "How are you going to get it if it's underwater?" 

"There's a way to do it," Lina replied. She swallowed and stared into the murky depths of the pool, where she had fought the worst battle of her life. She could already feel the memories starting to pound at her already tired brain, overworked from lack of sleep and much stress. But she had no choice. She was doing this for Gourry. She would do anything to enable him to get his family's sword back.


	8. Journey into the Depths of Sairaag

Lina stared into the murky depths of the pool. Once, the gigantic Flagoon had guarded over Sairaag. Then it was destroyed and became a prison for its citizens and the people she cared for. Now, all that was left was gallons upon gallons of water and the nightmares that haunted her.

Gourry approached her. "We don't have to do this," he said in a low voice. "We can find a way around this." 

"No," she replied stubbornly, making sure that her gaze kept focused on the water. "We're going to get your sword back, Gourry. You sacrificed it to save me. I owe this to you." 

He moved even closer and reached for her right hand. "You risked a whole hell of a lot more to save me. You're more important than the sword, Lina." _It's not worth you risking your sanity for_ , he thought as he stared into the pool himself. 

She wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed tightly. "I'll be okay. Besides," she added with a toothy grin. "You're going with me." 

Gourry paled slightly, not liking the sound of this at all. "I am?" 

Lina looked over her shoulder at Shizuri. "Shizuri, you keep an eye on things up here! We'll be back!" 

Shizuri smirked at them. Lina appeared too cheerful and Gourry looked like he was going to be ill. She waved to them. "Take all the time you need! I'm sure that's probably the most alone time the two of you are going to have for days." 

"Shizuri!" Lina yelled, but Shizuri was too busy laughing. She snorted and swapped her hold on Gourry, wrapping her arm through his. "Ready?" she asked. "You didn't mind the last time we did this." 

"Yes, I did! I was just speaking octopi and you couldn't understand what I was saying!" 

"Oh! So _that's_ why you were flailing and screaming at me before we went underwater then!" 

Gourry didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at that statement. Before he could make up his mind either way, Lina casted the Raywing spell around them and plunged them into the water. 

\----- 

Amelia was the first one onto the road, Lyos at her shoulder. He brandished his sword, swinging it in a wild arc, nearly cleaving off Filia's head in the process. 

"Would you watch where you're swinging that thing?" Filia glared at him, then snapped her head around in a huff. "They shouldn't be allowing children to carry swords, especially one that big." 

Lyos growled and did his best to stick his nose in her face, despite the height difference between them. "Look, you. I don't care what dragon king you're a priestess for. _I'm_ the Knight of Aqualord! You have no right to be speaking to me like that!" 

Filia crossed her arms over her chest. "I, as a priestess of Flarelord, have a right to speak to whoever I want in what manner I choose. If I see a child that needs to be disciplined..." 

"I am not a child!" Lyos' voice rose nearly an octave as he screamed at her. 

"Umm...look, maybe this isn't the time to engage in this sort of argument," Sylphiel ventured, hesitantly. She bit her lip, not particularly anxious to become part of the fight between the two of them. 

Lyos and Filia both sucked in a breath, ready to start round two, when the ground began shaking. Explosions sounded in the distance, coming from the direction of the ruins. 

Lyos stabbed Banisher into the ground and quickly knelt to prevent losing his balance. He grabbed Filia just before she hit the ground. She stared at him for a moment with a look of part-annoyance, part-gratitude. With a muttered "thank you," she regained her footing and shook out her skirts. 

"Look!" Sylphiel gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing to the sky with the other. 

Amelia gawked as the white and black lights flashed in the air. _The last time I saw something like this, Gaav was fighting Xelloss-san. Could it...could Xelloss-san be here as well?_

Lyos shielded his eyes, then scanned along the ground. Close to one of the ruins, he noticed several shadows slipping around the giant remains. He pointed. "Look over there. There's someone near those ruins." 

At the base of the ruins, Gravos was on his knees, digging through the dirt. He'd spotted something glittering after setting off the explosions that Valgaav ordered. He dragged Jillas along, insisting that he saw something. 

Gravos reached into the hole that he made, his hand closing around something solid. "Look, Jillas! I found something," he exclaimed, then hefted a large sword. Elaborate metal vines curled around the blade, which appeared to him to still be sharp despite being buried. 

Jillas' eyes widened. "Is that the Sword of Light?" 

Gravos shrugged. "Well, it's a sword," he said. "Nice one too, by the looks of it." 

Jillas scoffed at the weapon. "Idiot. That's probably just some random sword someone has thrown away." 

Gravos waved it at him. "It fits the description! It's a sword found among these ruins. How many swords in this condition are found in a place like this? I say we take this back to Valgaav-sama." 

Jillas shook his head firmly. "I still don't think it's the Sword of Light." 

"It feels light!" 

"It'd feel light to you!" Jillas shot back. 

Gravos huffed for a moment, then considered the sword once more. He slashed it through the air. It was a decent enough blade, but other than the decorations, it seemed to be much like any other sword he'd seen. "Well, didn't Valgaav-sama tell you what it looked like?" 

Jillas frowned and fell silent for a moment. Finally, he shrugged. "Nope.' 

"Oh." 

Their heads snapped around at the sound of loud rustling in the bushes. A moment later, Amelia, Filia, Sylphiel and Lyos burst through. Lyos quickly skirted in front of them, brandishing Banisher. 

Sylphiel's eyes widened when she got a good look at the weapon in Gravos' hands. "It's...it's the Blessed Blade! What are you doing with that?" 

Jillas took two steps backwards and sputtered. "You mean it's not the Sword of Light?" He whirled around and jabbed a finger in Gravos' face. "Told you so!" 

Sylphiel stepped forward. "That's a sacred sword for the people of Sairaag," she said firmly, her features hardening. "I'd like to have it back, please." 

Jillas turned his attention back to Sylphiel. With a cackling laugh, he grabbed the Blessed Blade from Gravos and backed up slightly. "I recognize you. You're with Lina Inverse. Tell us where the Sword of Light is and we'll give you this sword." 

Sylphiel made a small sound of protest. Amelia leaped out in front of her, legs spread wide. With one hand on her hip, she pointed dramatically at the sword. "You can't keep that sword! It belongs to the people of Sairaag and it's unjust to loot a massive gravesite." 

Amelia didn't think it was possible for an ogre to turn pale, but the one on front of her did so considerably. "G...g...grave?" Gravos stammered, remembering what he had heard about the city of Sairaag being bewitched. "Jillas, maybe we should give them the sword back." 

"You're going to believe an annoying little twit like that?" 

Amelia's eyes started to flash with temper. "Who are you calling an annoying little twit?" 

Filia glanced at the sword, then back at Sylphiel. "Let me get this straight. Sylphiel-san, this sword that this beast is holding has nothing to do with the Sword of Light?" 

Sylphiel nodded. "That's right, Filia-san." 

Filia marched over to Gravos and Jillas, brushing past Lyos and a still-furious Amelia. She came to a stop in front of them and clasped her hands in front of her. "As a priestess of Flarelord, I command you to turn this sword over to the priestess from Sairaag right now." 

Lyos cradled his head in his hands. "Oh, geez, lay off!" 

"You can't order us to do anything, Missy!" Jillas shot back. 

Filia's eyes went wide before anger started to set in. She advanced slowly on Jillas, a golden glow starting to form around her body. Her hands curled into fist as a gust of wind suddenly blew threw the area. A moment later, a small pop sounded and Filia's tail popped out from beneath her dress. 

"Filia-san!" Her own temper forgotten, Amelia ran to Filia's side, grabbing hold of her arm. "Calm down, please, Filia-san! You can't transform right here!" 

Filia's head snapped toward Amelia's and the look in the golden dragon's eyes chilled her. Filia's aura flared again, knocking Amelia to the ground. 

"Amelia!" Sylphiel cried, rushing to her side. 

"Give it to them." Valgaav stumbled out from behind one of the ruins, clutching his right arm. He staggered toward them, distracting Filia to the point that her aura dropped. Shock filled her as the man stopped a few feet away from them. 

Gravos and Jillas both gaped at Valgaav. "What? Give up the sword? But it could be the Sword of Light!" Jillas protested. 

Valgaav glared at the Blessed Blade in disgust. "Give it to them," he ordered in a low, tight voice. "Now!" His gaze shifted over the crowd, then settled on Amelia. "Tell Lina Inverse this isn't over. I'm not going to waste time fighting over a worthless hunk of metal." 

Amelia shifted into a fighting stance. "Where's Lina-san?" 

Valgaav snorted and stared back at the main part of the ruins in disgust. "Hell if I know. Damn woman disappeared. But when she shows back up, you tell her I'm not finished with her. That damn Xelloss isn't going to stop me from getting my revenge." 

Amelia ignored Valgaav and raced past him, heading toward the center of the ruin site. She knew exactly where he'd been looking at - the place where Flagoon had once stood. Sylphiel followed Amelia. Filia hesitated for a moment and glanced over at Valgaav once more. She waited, hoped that he would make some sort of eye contact with her. When he kept staring stonily into the distance, she followed Sylphiel and Amelia. 

Lyos sauntered over to Jillas. "I'll take that," he informed him, snatching the blade from the fox's hands. Swinging Banisher over one shoulder, he ran off after the others, the Blessed Blade held tightly in his hand. 

\----- 

Gourry hated flying. There was nothing worse than the feeling of not having solid ground beneath your feet, especially when one had to depend on Lina for safety while in the air. There were times when he was able to push it out of his mind, like when Sairaag was destroyed. Lina and Zel's ability to get them all into the air safely had saved their lives. Still, it was one of the reasons why he was extremely glad that his fate in life wasn't to be a magic-user. 

But as they plunged into the water using the Raywing spell, he didn't feel so antsy - mainly because she had forewarned him this time. Lina had used the spell to take him, Amelia and Zel underwater before and it had held up fine once he'd gotten over the initial panic. It almost felt like they were on solid ground. 

And if worse came to worse and the spell failed, he was an excellent swimmer...as long as he didn't stop to think how far it was to the surface. 

The world was nothing but an enormous swirl of darkness around them as the surface disappeared from view. After a moment, his eyes adjusted and he could see the faint outline of stones from where the room had been Hellmaster's cavern. 

_Why can't I remember this? I should be remembering this. Wasn't I here? Lina said I was. So did Amelia and Zel. They came and rescued me here. I was here for quite awhile. Why can't I remember?_ Gourry turned back to Lina, frustrated with himself. It merely wasn't being forgetful this time, that he knew. He just couldn't remember anything at all. 

When they returned from Sairaag the last time, he'd told the group the he recalled being in the mountains, fighting Gaav. Then Hellmaster had snared hold of him and the last thing he could see in his mind was Lina running after them, screaming his name. The next thing he knew, he had woken up to see Lina glowing gold and something about her being taken away. 

His mind was jumbled up from that point on. He ran after her, followed her into that black hole that Zel had called the Sea of Payoff. Then his sword disappeared. Then something about a kiss? No, that was his imagination taking over again. Then they were back in Sairaag and Lina was kicking him into one of the lakes - just like old times. 

Lina's voice cut through his thoughts. "I figured there would be something left," she said hoarsely. 

Gourry couldn't see well, but he did notice something shining on her face. Was she crying? "Lina?" 

She didn't say anything for a moment. "In the middle of this...thing, there was a huge crystal that held every single person who died in Sairaag the day Copy Rezo destroyed the city. Phibrizzo was manipulating them like he would a puppet." Like he did you, she silently added. 

When it became clear that Gourry hadn't remembered his time spent as one of Phibrizzo's puppets, Lina had Zel, Amelia and Sylphiel swear not to tell him that he attacked Lina. She knew Gourry's mind well enough. He would not be able to handle the fact that he tried to kill her well, even though it had been beyond his control. 

Besides, she carried enough guilt for them both. 

She gritted her teeth and channeled more energy into the spell. The memories were hitting her again, one right after the other. She was trying to block them out, to remember what they were doing. 

_Gourry's crystal was cracking. She could see the lines blossom over the surface, like glass the moment before it shattered into a million pieces. She could hear Phibrizzo's insane laughter as she reached the only decision she could make. She would not have Gourry's blood on her hands! She would cast the Giga Slave._

No, that wasn't right. Gourry was fine. He was beside her, trying his best not to turn an interesting shade of green the deeper they went. He was alive. Phibrizzo was not. They were going to get the Sword of Light back. 

_Are you so sure about it?_ Her mind questioned her and for a moment, the lines between reality and memory blurred. 

Gourry swallowed nervously as the air bubble around them started to waver. Somehow, he didn't think that the spell was suppose to do that. 

_I can see it! His crystal is shattering!_

"Lina, snap out of it!" Gourry said harshly, grabbing her shoulders. It was just enough to shake Lina out of her thoughts. 

Then their feet hit the ground. 

Lina swore, catching her balance while maintaining the spell. Gourry wasn't so lucky. He hit the ground, his arm flinging out beyond the Raywing shield. He yanked it back, but it was soaked to the bone and blue. 

"Co...cold," he shivered, rubbing it frantically. "It...it was only..only out there a second!" 

"We're so deep under water, it wouldn't matter," Lina told him. "If this goes down, we'll freeze before we could get back to the surface." 

Gourry decided it was not a good idea to mention that her spell had wavered. At least, not right then. Maybe when they were back on the surface and he was kissing the ground in gratitude. 

They stared at their immediate surroundings. Their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but that didn't help them much. Lina considered their options. Casting a Lighting spell was possible, it was low-level enough to where it shouldn't interfere with the Raywing spell. But they were so deep that she didn't want to take the chance of it happening. 

"If we don't find it now, we'll have to make a second trip," she told Gourry. "We can't run the risk of my magic getting too exhausted. We won't make it back to the surface." 

"We can't have that now, can we?" he replied cheerfully. He refused to let her worry. "We'll find it, Lina." 

She gave him an odd look, then started to navigate the bubble around the bottom of the chamber. 

Things in life never came easy to Lina Inverse, which was why she was shocked when Gourry suddenly tripped over something. He handed on his hands and knees, nearly spilling completely out of the Raywing bubble. She expended more energy than she wanted, expanding the bubble out to keep him safe. 

"Hey, jellyfish! I'm working here," she grumbled. "We can't afford for you to trip over your own two feet." 

"I didn't trip myself up," he countered, then felt around on the ground. Suddenly, he had something in his hand and she heard him whisper an incantation. 

Light filled the area as it shot forth in a blade from Gourry's hands. It took Lina a moment to realize that he was holding the Sword of Light, the blade about the size of a short sword so it wouldn't pierce through the Raywing bubble. They grinned at each other. 

"Let's get out of here!" Lina grabbed Gourry's hand and started to maneuver the Raywing bubble back to the surface. 

_This was too easy,_ Lina thought as they rose. _That cavern was huge. Maybe those stupid flashbacks were good for something after all if they caused me to literally land on top of the weapon. Now that we have the sword back, we can go see if this prophecy is full of bunk or not._

Lina looked up and started to see the night sky above the water. She closed her eyes and willed the bubble to move a little faster as drowsiness started to seep through her. _I could use a nap. Or two days of sleep. Wait a minute..._ Lina's grip on Gourry's hand tightened as alarms went off in her head. She was drained. Her magic was tapped. Her eyes snapped open as she started to wobble. 

"Lina?" Gourry glanced down at her as she began to sway. He quickly wrapped an arm around her to steady her. "Lina, what's wrong?" 

"The Raywing," Lina ground out, holding onto Gourry for support. "Damn it, I put too much power into it somehow. I'm not sure I can keep the bubble going." 

Gourry's hold tightened as his gaze went skyward. He could see the surface, but they weren't close enough to consider swimming for it. He looked back down at Lina as she suddenly slumped forward into his arms, unconscious. His instincts kicked into gear and he took a huge breath of air, barely managing to get it before the bubble popped. As the water swirled around them from the broken spell, Gourry clutched Lina tightly to his chest and kicked toward the surface. 

\----- 

Shizuri knelt beside the large lake, doing her best not to be worried. She glanced at the moon, noting the position. If she had to guess, Lina and Gourry had been gone for nearly half an hour. Shizuri knew about magic, but the sort of spell that Lina had used to create breathable air for herself and Gourry was unknown to her. 

"Shizuri-san!" Amelia rushed up as Shizuri got to her feet. Amelia stopped and slumped over, hands on her thighs as she caught her breath. "Where's Lina-san and Gourry-san?" she panted as Filia, Sylphiel and Lyos caught up. 

"In there, princess." Shizuri turned back to the lake. 

Amelia stepped to her side and tried to ignore the ice crawling up her spine. "They went in there?" 

"Some guy with purple hair...Xelloss. Yes, that's what Lina called him. Xelloss. He indicated that the sword was down in there." 

"Inside of Flagoon?" Sylphiel questioned. 

"It makes sense," Amelia replied. "That's where the battle took place." 

"What battle?" Lyos asked as Filia went pale. 

"You mean... _that_ battle?" she asked Amelia. "The one with Hellmaster?" 

Shizuri's eyes went wide with shock. "Hellmaster? Hellmaster Phibrizzo? Lina fought Hellmaster Phibrizzo and lived? How the hell did she fight both the Demon Dragon King and Hellmaster?" 

"It's a long story," Amelia replied, not wanting to go into it at the moment. She turned back to the lake. "How long have they been in there?" 

"Enough time to where I'm worried about them." Shizuri fixed Amelia with a sharp look as the princess unclasped her cloak and let it drop to the ground. "Princess, what are you doing?" 

"Going after them," she replied, then dived into the water, casting Raywing as she did so, ignoring Shizuri's shouting as she sank below the surface. 

Amelia manipulated the spell until it widened, then gauged her power. Holding out one hand, she cast a low-level Lighting spell and scanned the depths. She lowered the bubble some, then scanned again. She frowned when she saw something flash in the water below. She sank a few more feet and lowered the power of the Lighting spell to make sure that it wasn't her own magic reflecting off the walls. When the flash appeared again, she recognized it from the time that everyone had gone hunting for lake dragon. 

Amelia released the Lighting spell and angled toward the flash, which was now a full mane of hair. As she got lower, she could see Gourry's face as he struggled with a growing lack of oxygen, his arms clamped around Lina. Amelia quickly expanded the Raywing spell, encompassing Gourry. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily as Amelia turned toward the surface. 

Sylphiel let out a little shriek of joy as the bubble emerged, then popped. She raced to the edge of the water, taking Lina from Gourry's arms and stretching her on the ground as she started to cast Recovery. Lyos and Shizuri helped Gourry out of the water while Amelia climbed out next to Filia. They helped him over to Lina's side as Amelia rushed over and added her own healing spell to Sylphiel's. 

Filia started to head over, then tripped. She glanced down and noticed a sword hilt lying in the large wet spot where Lina, Gourry and Amelia had gotten out of the water. She knelt and picked it up, studying it. "I don't think this was here before," she commented. "Someone's sword hilt." 

Amelia's head snapped up as she got a good look at what Filia held. "The Sword of Light! You got it back!" 

"Yeah," Gourry managed a weak smile. "We did." 

\----- 

When Lina blinked her eyes open and saw her friends' worried faces crowded around her, she knew she'd managed to elude death one more time. _I have more lives than a cat_ , she decided as Sylphiel helped her to sit up. "How did we get out?" 

"Amelia came after us," Gourry explained. "She got there just in time." 

Amelia managed a wavering smile, then suddenly tackled Lina. She threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "You always make us worry so much, Lina-san," she sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It wasn't worth it!" 

"Damn it, the spell shouldn't had gone out," Lina muttered in response. She hugged Amelia back, then nudged her away. "Amelia, pull yourself together!" 

Amelia sat back on her haunches and swept her hand over her eyes as Lina recounted the trip. "The spell shouldn't had gone out," she repeated as she reached the end. "I've managed a Raywing bubble like that before, larger even when we went down to see what was up with the Octopi. My magic shouldn't go out like that." She leaned forward, cradled her head in her hands. _I shouldn't had taken Gourry. I shouldn't had risked him like that. Damn it, I don't need him to hold my hand while I confront my ghosts!_

Gourry stared at Lina for a long moment, his eyes downcast. "It's my fault," he finally said. "I nearly broke the bubble twice and if I hadn't..." 

"Oh, stop the guilt trips, both of you," Shizuri cut in, throwing her hands in the air. She got to her feet and loomed over the group, hands on her hips. "If Gourry hadn't gone with you, you wouldn't had found the sword, Lina. Even if you did, you would had risked breaking the spell by trying to pick it up." 

They opened their mouths together to protest, then mutually clamped them shut. Amelia stared at them for a moment, then got to her feet. "Hey, why don't we get going," she suggested, starting to usher Filia and Shizuri away. "Let's head back to camp and start to pack things up. I'm sure Lina-san and Gourry-san will be along in a minute." 

Sylphiel rose, starting to object, then fell silent. She glanced quickly at Lina and Gourry, then headed off after the others. Lyos lingered the longest, his gaze on Sylphiel as she moved away. He hurried after her, not bothering to look back. 

Lina started to get to her feet, but nature conspired against her and she found herself sitting once more. "Okay," she laughed a bit shakily, "I suppose we stay here for a moment longer." 

"Are you okay?" Gourry wrapped an arm around Lina's back to steady her. 

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Lina waved her hand in front of him. "We've had much worst stuff happen to us in battle and I just need a moment to catch my breath." 

"Not that." Gourry's hold tightened on her as he remembered how the flashbacks had come close to overwhelming her again. He was willing to bet that dealing with the flashbacks was why Lina's power had given out so fast. Did she not notice that they'd nearly caused the spell to go out then as well? "Are you alright about that?" he nodded toward the pool. 

"Oh." Lina followed Gourry's gaze and slumped a little against him. She mulled it over for a few minutes. "Yeah, I suppose I am," she decided. "I think the nightmares will always be there to a degree, but we've essentially returned things back the way they were before we fought Phibrizzo. I don't think they'll be this bad anymore." 

She smiled at him and saw the worry in his eyes. "Don't worry," she said with a laugh. "I'm fine! I'm not about to let some stupid dream keep me down." 

He relaxed a bit, then pulled her into his arms. She stiffened for a moment in surprise, then wrapped her arms around his neck. She relaxed as he wound a hand through her hair, lighting massaging the back of her head. This feels nice, she decided as she turned her face into his neck and relaxed. 

"Thank you," Gourry mummered against her hair. "You didn't have to do this for me. We could had let the sword go." 

"No, we couldn't." Lina pulled back and noticed Sylphiel in the distance. The priestess had stopped about halfway back to camp and was looking back at them. Despite their talk earlier, it was enough to make Lina feel uncomfortable. She eased back slightly and made the mistake of turning her full attention to Gourry. His eyes had soften and he looked so happy that nerves began to jitter in the pit of her stomach. They started to lean in toward each other. Remembering Sylphiel, Lina quickly pulled away just short of kissing Gourry and tried again to stand. This time, she succeeded. She lumbered off. He stared after her with a bemused expression, but quickly followed. 

"Just remember, pal," Lina informed Gourry as they headed back to camp, "you lose that sword again and I'm going to kick your ass."


	9. To The South! We're Flying Dragon Express!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the novels, Lina tells us that Amelia is the same age as her, probably a few months older. This is the age that I'm using for this story.

_Dear Zelgadiss-san,_

_It has been two weeks since we initially met Filia-san and agreed to take her quest. A good bit of that time was spent taking a side trip to Sairaag, after Xelloss-san told us that the Sword of Light was spotted among the ruins. Gourry-san got his sword back, but there was a lot of fighting that accompanied it. An underling of Gaav's, Valgaav, was also trying to get the sword and kill Lina-san as well._

"That is why it's imperiative we leave for the Temple to Flarelord immediately!" Filia said, her voice cutting through Amelia's thoughts. She glanced up from her writing to see her squaring off against Lina, an angry Shizuri behind her. Amelia hunkered down slightly in her seat. _I really, really hope that they don't get me involved in this._

"Do you know how long of a trip that is?" Shizuri demanded, jabbing her finger at a map displayed on the table. "Why can't you just tell us what your Elder wants? Or make him come to us! We're not dragons. We can't fly the way you can." 

"Shizuri has a point," Lina told Filia in a firm voice. "We've never explored the lands south of the Mazoku barrier. We have no idea how much of a journey it is." 

Filia looked abashed. "It only took me a few days." 

Lina cocked an eyebrow. "Flying or not flying?" 

"Flying, of course, but..." 

Lina propped her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand, the dull ache starting to throb in her temples rapidly working its way toward a full-blown headache. "Look, Filia. There's four of us. How comfortable is it going to be flying the four of us halfway across the world? Hell, we're going to have to tranquilize Gourry as is if we fly!" 

Lyos hefted Banisher. "Let me have the honors, Lina!" 

"Trust me, Gourry-san's handled worse than that from Lina-san," Amelia muttered, then scanned the dining room of the inn they were staying in. "Say, where is Gourry-san anyhow?" 

"Eh?" Lina bent over the map once more and didn't bother to look up. "He's outside with Sylphiel. They're having a talk." 

Amelia edged over slightly and studied Lina's face to see if she was having any problems with that, but her friend appeared to be normal. She let out a small sigh of relief and hoped that things would work out for the best. Of course, after what had happened two days earlier, Sylphiel knew that Lina and Gourry were together now, so Lina had no reason to be worried. Amelia tapped her quill against the table. Of course, this still was Lina they were talking about here. Even so, she didn't want Sylphiel to be hurt either. 

Lyos watched as the conversation turned back to the upcoming trip to the south. He edged to the closest window, pushing aside the lace curtain so that he could see outside. His gaze scanned over the people gathered until he was able to pick out Sylphiel and Gourry standing a few paces outside the inn. Sylphiel's face was turned toward the window and Lyos could see the faint signs of distress around her eyes and mouth. 

_That idiot Gourry. Can't he see that he's hurting her?_ Lyos jerked out of his thoughts as the windowsill began to crack beneath his grip. He stared down at his hands. _Why am I feeling this way? I haven't felt like this since...her..._ Embarrassed, and a little mortified, Lyos quickly pulled his hands away, backing from the window as fast as possible. He wandered back to the table and sat down amidst the chaos that swirled around him. 

During the past few months, Lyos wondered if he was going crazy whenever he had superimposed an image of his lady over Lina's in his mind. For awhile, he'd been scared that he actually had a crush on Lina and knew that the sorceress wouldn't stand for it. It was obvious the moment they had stumbled across Gourry after the two were separated by the storm that initially brought them to his lands. Lina had a great deal of affection for Gourry and, once Lina rattled his brains back into place, Gourry felt the same way. Lyos knew he couldn't even begin to come between that. He valued his own life, thank you very much. 

Some rational part of his brain told him that Gourry would not go after two women at once. Lyos didn't think Gourry had the brains in order to do that. Even so, he was causing Sylphiel pain by choosing to be with Lina and that didn't sit right with him. Lyos slumped in his chair. Damn it, he shouldn't be worried about this priestess like that. He'd only known her for a couple of days and had spoken a handful of words to her in that time. Provided that the rest of the party got their act together, they would be leaving today. 

Lyos shot the rest of the party a dark look. _Would they just stop their bickering and get on with it?_

\----- 

From their vantage point outside, Gourry and Sylphiel could see Lina, Shizuri and Filia all starting to lose their tempers with each other and simultaneously winced when Shizuri loomed over Filia, shouting into the priestess' face. 

Sylphiel paled slightly and knew the chaos that Lina could bring upon a place when she got into a bad temper. "On second thoughts, maybe coming out here to talk isn't such a good idea. I know the inn owner and I don't think he'd like the damage that Lina-san can cause." 

Gourry smiled knowingly. "Lina's done a lot of growing up lately. I don't think the damage will be too bad." 

Sylphiel glanced at Gourry out of the corner of her eye, then clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her nervously. She stared at the ground and worried her lip, hoping that what she wanted to tell him would actually come out in an coherent manner. She'd been practicing her speech from the moment she saw Lina and Gourry embrace after retrieving the Sword of Light. But now that the moment had arrived, the words were failing her. 

"Sylphiel?" 

Sylphiel blinked, then realized that Gourry had been calling her name for about a minute or so. She flushed and turned her attention back to him. "I'm sorry, Gourry-sama. What were you saying?" 

He smiled gently at her. "I was asking what were your plans now? Are you coming with us to the south? Lina wouldn't mind." 

Sylphiel shook her head. "No, I'm going back to my uncle's in Saillune. Amelia has asked me to take some letters with me, one for her father and the other for Zelgadiss-san. Of course, we're not exactly sure where Zelgadiss-san is, but Amelia tells me that she's been sending all of his letters to Saillune in any case in the hopes that Zelgadiss-san will pass through there." 

Gourry nodded and appeared thoughtful. "It's been a long time since Amelia's seen her father," he commented. 

Sylphiel smiled slightly. "I saw Prince Phil before I left for Sairaag. He'd just met with the entourage that had gone with Amelia beyond the barrier. He was glad to find out that you and Lina-san were okay and that Amelia was out advancing the cause of justice in the lands beyond the barrier. I told Amelia that earlier this morning and it put her mind at ease." 

Silence wove between them, but Sylphiel was surprised that it didn't feel uncomfortable. She averted her gaze from Gourry and summoned the strength that she needed to get out what she had to say next. "Gourry-sama," she said, switching her focus back to him. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry." 

His smile faltered for a moment as confusion swept through him. "Sorry for what?" 

"Well...just..." _Keep going, Sylphiel_ , she ordered herself. "These past few years, I've had...well...feelings." 

Gourry's features relaxed. "Oh, is that all? Everyone has feelings, Sylphiel." 

She laughed and felt a bit more at ease. "No, no, I mean...well, Gourry-sama, I've had feelings for you." 

"I have feelings for you too, Sylphiel. You're my friend," he replied happily. "You, Lina, Amelia, Zel, Lyos and Shizuri. You're all my friends." 

"No, no, it's not like that." Sylphiel laced her fingers together as she realized the point wasn't getting across. "I've felt very close to you." 

"I feel close to you as well." Gourry swung a friendly arm around her shoulders. "We've been friends even longer than I've known Lina. No one can cook like you do. You're special to me too." 

The last of the nerves faded away and Sylphiel relaxed completely. She quickly embraced Gourry, knowing that if they could see what was going on inside, Lina and the others could be watching them outside. She wasn't quite sure if Gourry understood what he'd said, but the implication was enough for her. He loved Lina and she would always be first in his heart. But, Sylphiel also held a special place as one of his oldest friends. That, for her, was enough. 

When Gourry and Sylphiel stepped back into the inn, the argument was still going full force. Lina was nearly ready to beat some sense into both Shizuri and Filia, especially the latter. Lina drummed her fingers on the map and watched as the two fought. Amelia had tuned everyone out and was still working on the letters that she was sending back with Sylphiel. _She's probably telling Prince Phil all about the justice speeches she gave beyond the barrier._ Her gaze moved to the door as Sylphiel and Gourry made their way back to them and was relieved to see that the starry-eyed look that Sylphiel normally had around Gourry was gone. 

"So," Lina announced, tapping her finger on the map, "you feel up to flying, Gourry?" 

Gourry leaned over her shoulder and cocked his head to the side as she indicated where they needed to go on the map. Bile rose in his throat momentarily as he thought of the amount of time needed in the air. "It would take too long to sail, wouldn't it?" 

"I'm sorry," Lina apologized and shot Filia a dirty look. "I don't think our hostess wants to take up that much time. Apparently, we've wasted enough as is." 

"Well, if we have to fly, we have to fly." Resigned to the situation, Gourry took the empty seat next to Lina so he could study the map better. 

When he leaned over, she scooted next to him. "Is Sylphiel doing okay?" she whispered. 

He glanced back at her and blinked. "She's fine. Why wouldn't she be?" 

Lina considered him for a moment, then chuckled. It was highly likely that no matter what Sylphiel had told him, it would had gone over his head anyhow. 

\----- 

_Three days later_

_The northernmost city in the lands beyond the Mazoku barrier_

There was no other way around it. Lina was simply going to have to kill all of them. Well, maybe not Gourry, she decided as he rushed to the closest building to find a washroom to hack up the remains of whatever food he'd managed to keep down during the longest part of the flight. She wished she could tell him that it was over, but Filia had informed them there was at least another day of flying ahead of them. 

That had caused the latest fight. Filia told them that she felt pretty confident that once she reached the coast, she could make the entire ocean trip in a day. However, as Shizuri proceeded to remind Filia, there was a small matter of needing to eat, drink, sleep and relieve themselves - all but the last they could get away with doing on a fully transformed golden dragon. 

While they argued it out, Lina and Amelia located an island that appeared to be halfway between the Alliance of Costal States and Filia's lands. Lina had to grab Filia in a headlock in order to pull her away from the fight long enough to shove the map in her face and declare that they were stopping there for the night. 

"And if not," she had threatened, "I am going to make sure that Gourry gets sick all over your pretty mane." 

At least they were finally in the southern lands, though at first glance, Lina thought that they didn't seem to be much different from the Alliance of Coastal States, where they had left from. With a dismissive toss of her hair, she turned her attention from the shoreline to more important matters - like lunch. With a happy smile, she scanned the ample menu that the restaurant featured. 

"You know, Lina-san, we could make it to the Flarelord temple by dark if we leave as soon as possible," Filia suggested, sipping from a cup of tea. When Lina didn't respond, she set her cup down on the saucer with a loud clatter. "Are you listening to me? Lina-san!" 

"I'm listening," Lina replied absently, then beckoned for the water. "I'd like...one of everything from column A," she indicated, pointing at the menu, "and two servings of the first three...no, make it four items on column B, please. Oh, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup." 

Filia grabbed a copy of the menu and goggled at the prices. "No, no, she doesn't want all of that!" she yelled, jumping out of her seat. She did her best to flag down the waiter, who was doing his best to ignore her. "Wait! Wait! Oh...," Filia stopped outside of the doors leading into the kitchen and hung her head. "My budget," she moaned. 

Filia's head snapped up when a wan-looking Gourry moved past her and collapsed into the seat next to Lina. A stab of guilt went through her. _Maybe I am pushing them a little too hard. Lina-san told me that Gourry-san was afraid of heights, but..._ Filia moved back to the table and took her seat as the first of the food started to arrive. _Maybe it won't be a bad thing for us to stay here one night. I'm sure the budget could be extended that much._

Lina let out a squeal of joy as five heaping platters of food were placed before her, along with the soup. She dug into the meal and marveled over the meal. Shizuri and Lyos each grabbed platters before Lina could notice and dug in as well. 

The smells wafted toward Gourry and he perked up, the color slowly coming back to his skin. He made a grab for some of Lina's food, but she turned at the last second. "I don't think so. You just puked up everything you've eaten in the past week." 

_This is true, but..._ Gourry's traitorous stomach rumbled as everyone else, even Filia, enjoyed the meal. He quickly made the decision. Eat now, deal with the consequences later. "I feel better now!" 

"Good! You can eat this." Lina pushed the bowl of soup over to him. 

Gourry's face fell. "Can't I have some of your sandwich?" 

Lina loomed over him, eyes dark. Her aura began to flare around her as Shizuri and Lyos started scooting their chairs away in self-defense. "Eat. The. Soup," she growled. 

Gourry turned challenging eyes to her and grabbed for her sandwich. In a swift move, Lina scooped up the bowl of soup and promptly upended it on Gourry's head. She allowed the bowl to drop on top of the mess. 

Filia leaned closer to Shizuri. "I thought those two were suppose to be in love," she whispered. 

"Let's just say this is one of the many ways that they express their affection for each other," Shizuri replied as a food fight broke out between Lina and Gourry. 

Filia scanned the group and noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Amelia-san?" 

"The princess?" Shizuri scooped up a bite of salad. "She went to go find the local postal service. She wants to establish some ties with it so we can get letters back to Saillune and the other lands that used to be in the barrier." 

"I see." Filia noticed that the food war had subsided. Lina grabbed a knife, sliced the sandwich in half and handed it to Gourry, along with a warning that she wasn't about to clean up after him if he got sick. _She smiled. I suppose there are many different ways of showing affection._

\----- 

Amelia found the post office about three blocks from the restaurant they'd stopped to eat at. It was a non-descript building in the middle of a row of other, just as non-descript buildings that lined the street. She paused and took in her surroundings for a moment. She appreciated the subtle differences she saw in architecture with each new place that she visited. This city, which Filia had called Mir, hugged the sea for which it was named. Each road seemed to sweep down toward the coast that held three large harbors, the key to the kingdom's livelihood. It was much different from Saillune City, which had been laid out carefully so that when completed, it formed a white magic seal. 

_At least, it did before Lina-san's Dragon Slave decimated part of it._ Amelia winced at the memory and knew that despite the widescale damage the Dragon Slave had left, it would had been much, much worse if the entire chunk of land that Kanzel had levitating in the air had crashed to the ground. Her father had estimated that roughly three-fourths of the city would had been destroyed if that happened - with the royal palaces at the epicenter. When faced with those odds, Amelia gladly chose the Dragon Slave. 

Amelia glanced at the letters she clutched in her hand and homesickness stirred a little. The last time she'd been home was a little more than a year ago. She and her father had estimated that the diplomatic mission would take close to a year, but they hadn't counted on running into problems with the Mazoku. She'd celebrated her 19th birthday shortly before leaving Kunan and knew that Lina's birthday wasn't that far off. 

Her father knew what was going on, at least. The letters she'd managed to get from him, along with the verbal message passed through Sylphiel, conveyed his blessing at helping Lina to stop Hureika and Rikufalso. They'd spoken using the Vision spell shortly before leaving the Alliance of Coastal States and he urged her to use whatever chance she had to extend diplomatic ties between Saillune and the new kingdoms they explored beyond the barrier. It was a mission that she shouldered with pride. 

Amelia stepped into the post office and saw that it appeared to be much similar to the ones within the Mazoku barrier. Sectioned shelves stretching from floor to ceiling lined one wall with a long counter situated in front of it, keeping the customers from accessing the shelves. A man sat working at a desk on one side of the room, his sandy hair tied back in a queue as he bent over paperwork. Amelia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply with pride. _Such a peaceful scene. Surely this is result of keeping a city full of just people._

"May I help you?" Amelia opened her eyes and saw the man sitting at the desk staring at her. 

She moved to him, pulling out her royal seal as she walked. "I'm Amelia wil Tesla Saillune, princess from the Kingdom of Saillune and third in line to the royal throne," she announced in a soft voice, not wanting to attract undo attention. "I am here as a diplomatic ambassador in the name of my father, Philionel el de Saillune, crown prince and first in line to the royal throne. I am looking for the postmaster so I can talk to him about establishing postal service between Saillune and this kingdom." 

The man arched a thin eyebrow at the royal seal and smiled. "I'm the postmaster, William Brog. Welcome to Mir, Princess Amelia. You're from one of the kingdoms from within the Mazoku barrier, am I correct?" 

"That's right." A little surprised, Amelia lowered the seal slightly. "How did you know that?" 

William chuckled. "There's been stories, legends more like it, of lands that lie to the north within a magical barrier and of people there who know how to wield powerful magic. About a year to year and a half ago, people started arriving from those lands, confirming our legends and adding new ones to our local lore. The most favorite among our young people is about this sorceress that appears to be around your age. They say she's always on the prowl, snatching treasure from thieves for her own use. She's so deadly, even dragons flee at the sight of her. A dramata. That's what they call her." 

Amelia's lips quirked. _Nice to know that Lina-san's reputation has preceded her._

"Not many have come, but there has been some unusual people," William continued. "Granted, there's unusual people here, but some that not even I've seen before have come from the northern lands. There was a man who passed through about a month or two ago. I swear, he had stone for skin - blue stone! There was even pebbles that appeared to be attached to his face. and his hair appeared to be made of wire. He was here looking for temples and libraries and said he was on a personal quest." 

Amelia nearly dropped the seal. Her heart started to beat a little faster. "This man," she said, surprised that her voice sounded reasonably normal, "did he say what his name was?" 

"Xel? No, no, that's not it." William rubbed his chin, then his eyes lit up. "Zel! That's it. Zelgadiss Greywords." 

\----- 

Amelia concluded her business and nearly skipped out of the post office. William had taken both the personal letter for her father and the official document requesting that Saillune establish postal and possible trade routes with the kingdom. He would ensure that they reach the proper royal officials, he told her. 

_He's here! He's got to be here!_ Amelia wove her way through the throng of people on the street. It'd only been a month, two at the most! Once she told Lina, she was sure they could talk Filia into staying in Mir for a few days so they could get a lead on Zelgadiss' movements. Amelia dashed around a corner and immediately collided with something rather solid. 

She tumbled to the ground, landing on her rear with her legs sprawled out to each side. She shook her head to get her bearings, then scrambled back to her feet. "I'm so, so sorry," she began to apologize, then sucked in a deep breath when the man turned toward her. "Xelloss-san!" 

Surprise flickered over Xelloss' face for a moment, but it smoothed into a benign smile before Amelia noticed. "Ah, Amelia-san! What brings you to this pleasant city?" 

"I'm here with Lina-san and the others," Amelia replied carefully. She tilted her head. "What are you doing here, Xelloss-san?" 

He made a tsk-ing sound, then placed a finger over his lips. "That, as you can probably figure out, is a secret. I'm here on official business. Just some pesky matters that need clearing up." 

"Are you looking for Valgaav?" Amelia pressed on, remembering what Lina had told her about when Xelloss had involved himself in the fight between Valgaav and Lina. "Is he here in the southern lands as well?" 

"That, I don't know," Xelloss replied and for once, it was the complete truth. It was infuriating, not to know where Valgaav was. It was like he disappeared into thin air once he fled from the battlefield in Sairaag, He'd done enough damage to Valgaav that he thought he'd slowed down his movements. Apparently not. Xelloss was used to multi-tasking, but he needed to get the Valgaav problem out of the way so he could focus on the other part of his mission. 

"Now, I need to be getting back to my duties," he briskly told Amelia and faded onto the Astral Plane before she could ask any further. "But," he added in a disembodied voice that he projected to her, "in my inquiries, I've heard some very interesting things about a mutual friend of ours that happened to pass through here a couple months ago." 

"Zelgadiss-san? What did you hear about him?" Amelia took a few steps forward and clenched her hands into fists. "Xelloss-san! Come on, answer me! Xelloss-san!" 

When no reply came, she huffed a little. Why am I not surprised? She started to run back to the restaurant, thoughts of Xelloss now mingling with the ones of Zelgadiss. _Xelloss-san has got to be tracking Valgaav. He must know that Gourry-san got the Sword of Light back. Lina-san's going to be very interested in this._

\----- 

_One day later_

_Temple to Flarelord_

The Temple to Flarelord wasn't just a single building. It was a huge complex of buildings. Some tall, some short, some formed into skinny towers and the others into circular halls, the temple protruded out of the desert like some alien being had simply abandoned it there. At the same time, the buildings itself appeared to be created out of the same reddish-brown dirt and rock that surrounded the complex for miles and miles, so not even the closest town could be seen. 

_Filia wasn't kidding when she said we had to fly here._ Lina surveyed the massive buildings and noticed that her party was currently gawking at them. Well, all the members of her party who wasn't currently losing their lunch. Lina made her way over to Gourry's side and slapped a hand on his back. "Well, look at it this way," she said cheerfully. "At least it's over. Though, I told you not to eat that sandwich yesterday." 

"I think I'd rather be skewered with a sword," he moaned and braced himself on a nearby rock. His gaze shot skywards as he took in the buildings for the first time and really couldn't find the words to describe them. 

Amelia walked over, laid a hand on Gourry's arm and cast Recovery. It was the only way they'd been able to prevent him from having his meals revisit him while they were in the air, though his stomach always decided to revolt once they hit the ground. "I've never seen anyone react to flying like you do, Gourry-san." 

"Most people choose to fly," he pointed out, his voice a bit stronger. "I'm fine with the shorter stuff, not hours and hours of it." 

"I'm thinking next trip, we just knock you out," Lina replied, hints of an evil smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

Gourry scowled at her. "You don't have to sound so cheerful about it!" 

Lina nudged his ribs and Gourry poked her back. As they ribbed each other, Shizuri walked over to Filia. "Well? Are we going to stand here all day, or are we going in?" 

"Yes, of course!" Filia beamed at her. "I was letting Gourry-san get his bearings." 

_More likely, she didn't want him to be sick inside the temple._ Lina followed Filia and the rest of the party fell in alongside her as they moved through massive doors into the equally large entrance hall. It stretched as far as they could see, with massive mosaics painted on the walls. Intrigued, Lina wandered over to one of the walls to study the drawings. "This when the four worlds were formed," she commented. "It's the history of the universe as we know it." 

Amelia had wandered further down the hall. "This is the battle between Ceiphied and Shabranigdu, at least the initial one that I know of. I don't recognize the writing." 

"This is like the painting that was on the walls of Oren's temple," Shizuri pointed out from the opposite side of the hall. "The Kouma Sensou is what you called it, right?" 

"That's right." Lina moved to Shizuri's side. "It looks like the version that I'm familiar with it - the one with Lei Magnus involved. And look." She tapped a panel that showed the destruction of many of the Golden Dragons by the Mazoku. 

Lyos leaned in for a closer look. "What's with all the dragons being killed in this picture?" 

"Lyos-san!" Amelia hissed, horrified. 

He gave her a confused look. "What?" 

More worried about Filia's reaction than anything, Amelia looked for the priestess and spotted her staring down the hall into the darkness. She sighed in relief and went back to studying the mosaics. 

"This is a comprehensive history of the world as we know it," a gravelly voice spoke, catching everyone's attention. They turned and saw a tall elderly man clad in white linen robes walking toward them, a contingent of men dressed in similar robes behind him. 

"That is the Elder," Filia said as the man approached, then stuck his nose in Lina's face. 

She reared back, scowled. "What are you looking at?" 

He didn't say anything. He stepped a few paces away from them, then beckoned. "Guests, would you please follow me further into the temple?" 

They walked through the entrance hall into a chamber that connected to a spiraling staircase that twisted down into darkness. While the main entrance had been light and airy, the stairs were only lit with a few torches. Lina was grateful for the little touches of brightness that she could see - the light colors of Filia and the Elder's robes, Gourry's hair, Amelia's clothes. It kept her oriented enough so that the darkness didn't seem quite so oppressive. 

At the end of the hall, the Elder pushed open another door. Lina's eyes widened with delight as the rest of the group suddenly sucked in their breaths. 

The table that stretched nearly as far as they could see was set with gleaming silver platters, trays, tureens and bowls. All were filled to bursting with every type of food imaginable. Lina held a hand to her mouth and wasn't surprised to find that she was drooling. Beside her, Amelia was stammering while Gourry's jaw simply hung. Shizuri looked like she'd been poleaxed and even Lyos seemed intrigued. 

"Please help yourselves to this meal," the Elder told them. "I need to speak with Filia as you do so." 

"Really?" Lina's voice went up about two octaves, but she didn't care. Amelia let out a squeak of delight, a shout of thanks, then scurried into the dining room, Gourry at her heels. Lyos and Shizuri quickly followed. 

"Hey, leave something for me!" Lina yelled, started after them, then stopped. She threw a glance at Filia and the Elder over her shoulder. "Thanks, old man!" 

Filia winced as the group descended on the table as if they hadn't eaten in a year. _The Elder is going to believe they're a pack of animals! Though, sometimes, I do wonder if they are..._ She peered at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was staring at the group with an unreadable expression. With a curt nod, he glanced at Filia. "Come with me, Filia." 

"Yes, sir." With a last look at the group, she followed him from the hall.


	10. The Right People for the Right Job

There was never a question of whether or not any food would ever go to waste as long as Lina and her friends were around. One by one, platters were emptied, tureens drained dry and the once-bursting table was now nearly empty with the exception of five people lazily sprawled around it, kicked back in chairs allowing the food to settle.

The dragons that prepared the feast simply gawked at their guests. 

"Did you see that?" one whispered. 

"Nothing left!" another chimed in. "Look, their stomachs aren't even distended!" 

"This must be the magical powers that humans have," a third added. 

They hovered in the hallway connecting the kitchen to the dining room. They didn't want their human guests to see them. They might decide they were still hungry and would want to eat them instead. 

Inside the hall, Lina collapsed onto a clear spot of the table and patted her well-fed stomach. Beside her, Amelia picked at her teeth with a long straw. Lina elbowed her. "Princesses aren't suppose to pick their teeth." 

Amelia startled, stared at the straw as if seeing it for the first time and tossed it away. Instead, she folded her hands over her abdomen and looked at the mosaics that patterned the walls and ceiling. "I've never been in a place quite like this. I wonder what stories these talk about?" 

Lina folded her hands behind her head. "Fables, from what I'm guessing. See that one?" She pointed to one set of pictures depicting a boy and a girl together, then the girl being hauled away by a woman. In the next panel, the boy was facing an attacking dragon. The next showed the boy praying to Ceiphied and then the boy watching the first dragon flying into the distance. "Did you ever hear of the story of Prince Wynd?" 

"Oh!" Amelia's eyes widened. "I remember that story!" 

Shizuri, Lyos and Gourry looked up at the ceiling as well. "Prince Wynd?" Shizuri asked. 

"Right before the Mazoku barrier was formed, the king and queen of Dils had two children - a boy named Wynd and a girl named Margaret," Lina said. "Wynd began journeying the lands when he was around our age. Meanwhile, the queen of Dils died and the king fell in love with a mysterious woman. Princess Margaret was jealous of her new stepmother and vowed to put an end to her beauty." 

"But the new queen, who was really an evil sorceress, heard her," Amelia continued. "So the new queen cursed Princess Margaret and turned her into a dragon. The dragon fled the palace and the people sought out Lei Magnus to defeat the dragon. However, Lei Magnus discovered that the dragon was really the princess and that she was so hungry that she had no choice but to perform unjust deeds in order to eat. He ordered that Wynd return to aid his sister." 

"So, Wynd returned to Dils and gathered an army to strike against his stepmother," Lina said. "However, each time they tried to attack the castle, the dragon attacked them instead." 

Lyos snorted. "Stupid dragon. Didn't she see that they were trying to help her?" 

"That's because the queen had the dragon under her power," Lina explained. "The third time they tried, the queen's power had worn off. Wynd prepared to slay the dragon, but it began to speak in his sister's voice. The dragon told him about the curse and how the queen had power over her. Wynd then prayed to Ceiphied for the power to change his sister's fortunes." 

"Aqualord heard the pleas of the young prince and came down to Wynd. He told the prince that in exchange for Margaret entering his service, he will break the hold that the queen had over her. Wynd thought this was a fair deal and agreed to it. Margaret helped Wynd defeat the queen and Wynd ascended to the throne after his father's death. Margaret was taken by Aqualord to the Kataart Mountains and is said to still be alive and is one of the dragons serving Aqualord." 

"I've heard a version of this tale before," Shizuri smiled slightly. "In that one, the princess was turned back into a girl after her brother kissed the dragon three times." 

"Sick," Lyos muttered with a wrinkle of his nose. 

"So much history." Shizuri admired the artwork and wished that she had a way to document it so she could return to her lands with the knowledge. She frowned as her thoughts shifted and she began to think of the odd man who had fought with them in Sairaag. "Lina, do you think that Valgaav guy's going to follow us?" 

"Who knows?" Lina yawned and closed her eyes, halfway tempted to take a nap. "It depends on how badly he wants to chase me down." 

"But, he wants the Sword of Light as well." Amelia sat up and scooted to the edge of the table. "He had those two henchmen of his looking for it. Why would he want it?" 

Lina shrugged. "Probably to help him increase his power. Probably because it's a symbol. The Sword of Light was one of the weapons that did damage to Gaav. What better than to steal it, then use it to get rid of me?" 

"You're taking this all remarkably in stride." 

Lina flashed a grin at Shizuri. "You sort of get used to this." Though, she admitted, being chased all the time like this was starting to grow pretty old. 

Amelia glanced across the table at a now-dozing Gourry and saw the sword he'd picked up while in Kunan still strapped to his back. She frowned and laid a finger against her cheek. "I wonder why Gourry-san's still carrying that other sword?" 

"Hmm?" Lina levered herself on her arms and noticed that Gourry had the one sword in the sheath across his back and the hilt of the Sword of Light tucked in his belt. She nudged his arm with her foot. "Hey! Wake up! Amelia's talking to you." 

"I heard her," Gourry mumbled sleepily and opened his eyes. He didn't say anything for a moment, then got to his feet. He removed the Sword of Light and placed it on the table. Then he unsheathed the other sword and placed it above the first. 

Lina got to her knees and studied the blade. She frowned as she inspected it closely for the first time. "The blade's rather big." 

"Yeah, it is." Gourry bent over the blade as well until his and Lina's heads nearly touched. "I don't think this is the original blade. The metal's not as worn as the hilt is. See?" He pointed to where the leather and wood had aged. "I don't think the hilt will last much longer. The blade on the Sword of Light's not the original either and you could tell that before I lost that last blade." 

Actually, she couldn't tell it. Lina sat back on her haunches and watched as Gourry pointed out specific flaws on the second blade. He was a complete idiot when it came to magic, but his knowledge regarding swords was one of the best that she'd ever encountered. Even Lyos seemed enthralled in the discussion and she knew that Lyos usually didn't give much credence to what Gourry said. 

Lyos scoffed as Gourry picked up the second blade and sheathed it. "If it's such a dud of a sword, why'd you keep it?" 

An odd look crossed Gourry's face. He didn't say anything for a moment and it seemed to Lina as if he was trying to remember something. 

"Hey! Did you hear..." 

"I heard you." Gourry cut off Lyos. "I'm just trying to remember." 

"Why you kept the sword?" 

"I know why I kept it." It was the exact circumstances around it that was foggy, but he remembered clearly what he'd been told. "A man once told me that you were a third-rate swordsman if you threw away a blade." Gourry shrugged and tucked the Sword of Light back at his waist. "It'll come in use someday." 

\----- 

Filia never felt comfortable in the Elder's office. He always preferred to utilize it in his human form and so it was smaller than most of the other rooms in the temple. She always felt like she was doing something wrong whenever she was summoned there, and she especially didn't like that she was there now with the Elder and his council. Some of her fellow priestesses grumbled over the fact that there wasn't a woman on the council, and to Filia's knowledge, there had never been a woman on it. It surprised her as a result when the Elder had named her to go find Luna Inverse. 

The Elder beckoned to a single hard chair that was in front of his desk and Filia automatically sat. She curled her hands into fists and tried to get her thoughts in order. She was simply giving a report. She had done the same thing dozens of times before. The Elder took his seat behind the desk and the council gathered around her. Filia's fists tightened as she forced herself to regulate her breathing. _Why do I feel like I'm facing a tribunal?_

"Filia. This woman is not Luna Inverse," The Elder stated. 

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No. She's not. As I mentioned in my last missive, Luna Inverse declined to take the job and referred me to her sister, Lina. Lina-san was overseas at the time and, as I mentioned, I had to wait for her to return." 

"Yes, but I had hoped that you would follow my orders that followed your last missive and persuade Luna Inverse to come instead." 

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Filia's lips. "Luna-san is... Well, let's say that both Inverses are very stubborn. Luna-san insisted that she would not go with me, despite numerous attempts and negotiations." 

"The other woman is a walking disaster!" One of the council members spoke up and Filia felt her temper begin to flare. It was one of the members she particularly did not like, the dragon who had taught her a good bit of the magic she knew. "Even dragons avoid this woman out of fear. Stories about her have come here in the years since the barrier came down that say that Lina Inverse destroys everything that she touches!" 

"Yes, I've heard those stories, Vrudi-sama," Filia replied. She'd definitely had heard those stories, which conflicted at times with the powerful young woman armed with very high powered spells and knew how to utilize them. "You have also heard rumors that Lina-san was instrumental in the death of Demon Dragon Gaav and Hellmaster Phibrizzo. I do not know the full story behind those, but I did verify that she was instrumental in bringing both of them down. I have not verified the rumor that Lina-san destroyed a piece of Shabranigdu a few years ago, but with what I've seen of her, I would definitely say that she is capable of doing so. When she was overseas, she was instrumental in destroying Deep Sea Dolphin's general and priest as well." 

Vrudi opened his mouth, but the Elder held up a hand. "What is your impression of Lina-san and her friends, Filia? Be honest." 

Be honest? Filia hesitated. What she had seen conflicted in part with what her gut told her. "They are rather unusual," she began. "They seem overly focused on food and they do not even begin to take the prophecy seriously. They caused a horrible delay because Lina-san insisted on us taking a detour to a place called Sairaag. Most of them are very rude and condescending and will look up a woman's skirts without permission." 

She sifted through the rest of her memories. She remembered how Gourry had gone to comfort Lina after receiving the letter from her sister. How Lina insisted that they were going to Sairaag to rescue Gourry's sword because it was important to him. How Amelia had gone into the pool in Sairaag to save Lina and Gourry. How Lina had become a mother hen regarding Gourry's motion sickness on their way south. How that despite the constant bickering that erupted among them, they all looked out for each other. 

"But," Filia continued, "I do feel that these are good people. They look out and have genuine affection for each other. They believe in each other and all of them believes in Lina-san. She's unusual, but an effective leader. They appear to have a healthy respect for our past and each have fought in battles to help protect our world. Lina-san is a very skilled sorceress, but so is Amelia-san. Gourry-san is a master swordsman and Lyos-san is suppose to be skilled as well. Shizuri-san is an illusionist. I've never seen skills like that before, but they will be useful." 

_Push it through to the end, Filia._ "In addition," she hastily said when the Elder started to speak, "Luna-san told me something interesting about the prophecy." 

Annoyance at being interrupted flickered over his face, but was quickly replaced with curiosity. "Yes?" 

"When I visited Luna-san, I told her the prophecy, she asked me to come back the next day after she reviewed it. When I did so, Luna-san turned down the job and said that she wouldn't be the right one to fulfill the prophecy. She referred specifically to the statement about the power between light and darkness. She agreed with my assessment that it pertained to humans, but not to her. That's when she told me to go seek out Lina-san." 

"So, are you saying that Lina Inverse is the right one for the job?" The Elder tapped his fingers together. "You're saying that the prophecy is referring specifically to her?" 

Filia nodded and decided to go with her gut. "Yes, Elder. I do." 

\----- 

_Desert of Destruction_

_During the time of the feast at the Flarelord temple_

The young man moved into the inn without bothering to push the hood back from his face. He headed straight to the bar and sat, signaling the bartender for an ale as he did so. When he received the cold, frothy glass, he took a deep pull from it. Thirst quenched for the moment, he started to think about the discovery he'd made that day. 

Zelgadiss Greywords had been traveling for a number of years - since he'd broken free from his grandfather's control and had started to quest for a cure to his chimera curse. He'd come across some strange artifacts, books and other relics that piqued his interest. Unlike Lina, who seemed to focus first on the monetary value of such objects, he appreciated them for the history that they held and the knowledge they possessed. His lips curved into a half smile. His friend could appreciate that as well...once she got past the value of the object in gold. 

Indeed, he had come upon a very strange object. Zelgadiss pulled the odd-looking weapon from his cloak and studied it. He'd come across it while in a destroyed temple earlier in the day, but it seemed to be in much better condition than the other artifacts surrounding it. It looked to him like someone had abandoned it. 

It didn't look like much. Zelgadiss frowned. It appeared to him to be a twisted staff that was missing its top half, even though it seemed to be a completed piece. In fact, it reminded him a bit of Gourry's Sword of Light. That had been a hilt which held a normal blade, but when removed, appeared to be a dud until the light blade was activated. 

It was silly, but... "Light, come forth," Zelgadiss muttered, fully expecting it not to work. That only made the shock worse when a spear of light shot out of the staff, extending so far that it slammed into the mirror behind the bar and it shattered into pieces. 

Zelgadiss' jaw fell as the bartender's face went scarlet. "You!" The bartender yelled. "Look what you've done to my mirror! You heathen!" 

"It was an accident," Zelgadiss insisted, holding up his hands. 

"Seven years! Seven years of miserable luck! And it's all your fault!" The bartender lunged at Zelgadiss, knocking him backwards. The hood and mask fell, revealing the chimera's wire hair and stone face. 

The bartender screamed and scrambled back over the bar. "Heathen! Monster! Help me, he's destroying my inn!" 

_Shit._ Zelgadiss braced the weapon in both hands and quickly assessed the men that had risen from their tables and were now surrounding him. One of them picked up a bottle of alcohol and smashed it against the edge of a table. Zelgadiss rolled his eyes. _We're full of cliches tonight, aren't we?_

"You!" The bartender rounded on the man with the broken bottle. "That was my finest rum!" 

Zelgadiss decided that it was a very good time to make his escape. He swung the weapon, light blade still extended, in an arc. The rest of the men jumped away from it. The bartender started to turn back and Zelgadiss used that chance to smash his elbow into the man's ribs. The bartender dropped to the floor and Zelgadiss leaped over him. 

"If you'll excuse me. Levitation!" Zelgadiss darted out the door and shot into the air. He hovered in the air as the rest of the men tumbled out of the inn. He waited to see if any of them happened to be a sorcerer. But when they started pitching rocks at him instead of taking to the air, he decided that none of them were and flew a safe distance away. 

He landed when his strength began to wane and he knew he wouldn't have the power to keep up the Levitation spell much longer. Zelgadiss glanced at the town, now in the distance, and sighed. He was just going to have to sleep in the desert tonight. Again. 

"Ah, Zelgadiss-san! It's wonderful to see that you made it out of the inn in one piece. Though, I do believe that the town has started a manhunt looking for a demonic chimera who wants to eat small babies." 

Zelgadiss nearly slapped his hand against his forehead. My night just can't get any worse, can it? "What do you want, Xelloss?" 

Xelloss faded into view in front of Zelgadiss and smiled. "Now, Zelgadiss-san, that's not the way to great a longtime comrade now, is it?" 

"I never considered you my comrade," Zelgadiss snarled and briefly considered thrusting the activated weapon in his hands at the Mazoku. "You never come around just for chitchat. Talk." 

"It is a bit of business, yes. Just a minor piece, really annoying actually." Xelloss shrugged. "You know, I have my duties." 

"I'm sure those include being a pain in the ass to everyone you meet." 

Xelloss' smile grew wider. "No, that's Lina-san's job." 

Zelgadiss nearly laughed and choked it back. For once, Xelloss had a valid point. 

"My business actually concerns that weapon you're holding." Xelloss gestured at the staff and was pleased to see the sudden interest in Zelgadiss' eyes. He waited, knowing that the chimera's mind would be starting to theorize about why the Mazoku would need the weapon. "Surely, you've seen a weapon like that one before." 

"The Sword of Light." Zelgadiss said this more to himself than to his companion. He glanced up at Xelloss. "I thought that there was just one weapon like this in the world." 

"I had thought so as well. It seems, as we are both standing here looking at it, that there is more than one weapon like the one Gourry-san used to own." Xelloss smiled slightly. "I have a job proposal for you, Zelgadiss-san." 

Zelgadiss shifted his hold on the weapon as Xelloss reached into his cloak and pulled out a thin book. "This," he said tapping the volume, "is a certain part of the Claire Bible. I took the liberty of extracting this information from the temple right before Gaav attacked. In it is everything you need to know to reverse the chimera process on your body." 

Zelgadiss' eyes glittered greedily as he stared at the book. His instincts screamed to snatch the book from the Mazoku and run as fast as he could, but he knew he wouldn't make it far before Xelloss obilviated him. He did have this weapon and, if it was truly like Gourry's Sword of Light, it could do great damage to Xelloss. 

He narrowed his eyes. _The cure or my life? I'm not worth much either way._ "State your conditions." 

"There's a matching weapon to that one. I want you to find it. When you do, I'll give you the book." 

"No catch?" 

"Would I mislead you, Zelgadiss-san?" 

_All the damn time._ Zelgadiss scowled. "I take it that you want this weapon as well." 

"Of course. You give me two weapons and I'll give you your cure." 

"What will you do with these?" Zelgadiss hefted the weapon. 

Xelloss shook his head and waggled his index finger slightly. "Now, now. That's a secret." 

Zelgadiss wanted the cure. He wanted it so badly that he could taste it, could feel what it would be like to be human once more. Still, this was Xelloss - the last person who would simply hand him his cure and send him off with a wave and a smile. The Mazoku wanted this weapon and there was more than one and who knows what they could do with these weapons. He was going with his gut on this one. 

"No deal." He replied curtly, turned on his heel and strode into the dark. 

"Suit yourself." Xelloss shrugged, then watched Zelgadiss walk away. His lips curled into a wicked grin, then he disappeared back to the Astral plane. 

As he walked, Zelgadiss used his will to deactivate the weapon, then hooked it through his sword belt. He was going to get his hands on that other weapon before Xelloss could. 

\----- 

_Centre Island, Valgaav's Base_

_During the time of the feast at the Flarelord temple_

Gravos peered nervously around the corner. His heart ached when he saw Valgaav slumped over in the large chair that was in the center of the room. He startled, then glanced over his shoulder at Jillas, who approached carrying a tray with a washbasin and bandages on it. 

"I don't think that'll help the Boss," Gravos murmured. 

"Nothing else we tried did. His wounds are healing, but I think it's more of his body makeup than anything." 

Gravos gave Jillas a confused look. "Makeup? Since when did Valgaav-sama began wearing makeup?" 

Valgaav braced his head in his hands and did his best to tune out Jillas and Gravos as they began bickering. Jillas had been right about one thing - his body was healing, more than likely due to his own natural blood fused with Gaav's than the inept attempt at healing that his henchmen had done. He slowly turned his palm face up and stared at it. _That damn Xelloss. He did a number on me, even though you couldn't see it. Sneaky Mazoku tried to rip me apart from the Astral plane. No thanks to him, Lina Inverse managed to get away and with the Sword of Light._

"Valgaav." 

Valgaav raised his head at the approach of a large being wearing spiked armor and a patched eye. "Almayce." 

Almayce paused in front of Valgaav and lifted an eyebrow. With a scoff, Valgaav moved from the chair and waited for Almayce to settle. He paced the room, waited for the being to speak. Gaav never liked it when a mission did not come through and he knew that Almayce probably was not that much different. 

"You did not find Gorun Nova," Almayce observed. 

"That Mazoku. Xelloss. He stopped me just as I was about to get to Lina Inverse." 

"But, your goal was to utilize Lina Inverse to get to Gorun Nova." 

Valgaav glared at Almayce. "You promised me that I could have my revenge on her and that you would give me the means necessary to do so." 

"The promise was given to you in exchange for your help in finding the weapons that I needed. I assume that this Lina Inverse now has possession of Gorun Nova." 

"One of the members of her party, yes. It originally belonged to the blond swordsman." Valgaav approached Almayce. "If you will lend me the help needed to take her down..." 

"You have not lived up to your word, Valgaav. It's been a year since we made our contract. So far, two weapons that we know of have gone missing." Almayce started at Valgaav, his voice growing cold. "So far, you have made a mockery out of yourself and those who you claim to serve." 

Temper flashed in Valgaav's eyes and he clenched his hands into fists. "Are you accusing me of being unfaithful to Gaav-sama?" 

"Your Gaav-sama would be disappointed at how poorly you have executed this task. Your primary goal is to find the five weapons. Your revenge comes after that." 

_That's where you're wrong._ Valgaav shot Almayce a hard look, turned on his heel and strode out of the hall. _My revenge always comes first._

\----- 

_Temple to Flarelord_

_Three hours after the feast began_

"So, it's come to this," Lyos muttered. 

Shizuri waved a hand at him. "Sssh! You'll break their concentration! I'm not going to have you lose this bet for me!" 

Amelia shook her head. "Trust me on this one, Shizuri-san. You're betting on the wrong person. I know that the odds seem to be against it, but I chose your side once and wound up losing to Zelgadiss-san. Fortunately, the bet isn't as high as it would had been had I wagered against Lina-san." 

Shizuri frowned. "Even so..." 

Lyos rolled his eyes. "Even I learned my lesson the last time I was in a competition. No matter what I did, I just couldn't win - and that was eating, strength and other things." 

"But, this is completely different!" Shizuri gestured across the table. "This is a staring contest!" 

Amelia scooped the small pile of coins that made up the pot into a neat stack in front of her. "It's not the first and Gourry-san has proven himself again and again in this." 

Shizuri folded her arms over her chest. "Well, I have complete faith in Lina-san." 

Across the table, Lina and Gourry sat facing each other, their eyes locked. Lina sat cross-legged on the table, her hands digging into her thighs as she fought not to blink. Just inches away, Gourry sat patiently, legs crossed and arms folded behind his head. He showed no sign that he was having any difficulties with keeping his eyes open for a particular length of time. 

Lina gritted her teeth and took several deep breaths. "Do you yield?" 

"No." 

Lina's face screwed up and her nails bit through the thin cloth of her leggings into skin. Then, with a quick flutter of her eyelashes, she blinked. 

"Damn it!" Shizuri shouted and Amelia happily scooped the pot into her money bag. 

Lina rubbed at her eyes. Yes, they were that bored, having run out of fables to relate an hour earlier and food 30 minutes prior to that. None of them carried a deck of cards, so they had resorted to coming up with any game that they could - finally culminating in a staring contest. 

"You make me sick," Lina muttered to Gourry and took a deep sip of water. "Sitting there like that and not being able to blink. It reminds me of Xelloss." 

"Hmm..." Amelia laid her finger against her cheek thoughtfully. "That's an idea. Say, Lina-san, I wonder if..." 

"Don't even think it, Amelia!" Lina hopped off the table, her temper rapidly escalating. "We've been waiting here for three hours. I'm exhausted and I'm hungry again and I need to..." 

Before Lina could finish her sentence, a cloaked man appeared at the entrance to the hall. He bowed deeply to them. "I apologize for the wait. The Elder is ready to see you now. Filia-san also suggested that I show you and your company to the nearest facilities to freshen up before you do so." 

"Finally. We're going to get somewhere." Lina followed the man out of the hall, Amelia and Lyos falling into step behind her. 

Shizuri started out as well, glanced over her shoulder and saw Gourry staring up at one of the murals painted on the ceiling. "Gourry-san, are you coming?" 

"Huh?" Gourry peered at the illusionist and laughed, a little embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. We're leaving?" 

Shizuri gave him a half-smile. "Sometimes, I wonder about you. What're you looking at?" 

"That." Gourry pointed directly above his head and Shizuri joined him. "What's that?" 

She walked to his side and shielded her eyes with her hand to get a better look. "I didn't notice that one before. It's the four dark lords of our world and the others. Ruby Eye, Darkstar, Chaotic Blue and Death Fog. I'm willing to wager that Lina's told you about them before and you've forgotten. You'll just have to get her to do so again. Come on. Let's get going before Lina has a fit." 

"Right." Gourry quickly followed Shizuri out of the room and made a mental note to ask Lina later about why there was an odd group of five blue dots around the dragon that Shizuri called Darkstar. Then again, he realized, it probably wasn't that important to begin with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter in which at the same time nothing happens and something happens. Yes, Zelgadiss is finally in the story though it'll be awhile before he joins the main story. He actually showed up a lot earlier than I had planned. Originally, his appearance was suppose to be a complete surprise and would had marked the halfway point in the story and that is going to remain somewhat intact. Then hints of his eventual appearance started showing up in the outline and then he wound up in this chapter. A true testament of the characters acting independently of the author's outline!


	11. The Truth Behind the Quest

After washing off much of the evidence of their long journey and dinner, they walked into a room so big that Lina was quite sure that a good chunk of Saillune's royal palace could fit inside of it with room to spare. The courtier that led them from the dining hall stepped aside as they walked into the room and stopped to take in the view.

"What is this place?" Shizuri asked, slowly turning around in a circle to get a look at the entire room while doing a mental comparison to the temples that she had seen back in Kunan. She quickly realized that there was no comparison. 

"It's so big," Amelia whispered, eyes wide. 

"This is our primary cathedral hall." Filia approached them from where she had been standing in the center of the hall and gestured to the large space behind her. "This is where most of our services to honor Flarelord take place. Most of the time, we are in our full dragon forms, but the Elders have chosen to remain in their human forms in honor of your visit. Please, follow me." 

They followed her across the hall. While it was lavishly decorated, Lina noticed that the cathedral lacked the elegant murals that were in other parts of the temple. When they reached the center of the hall, she saw a semi-circular dais in front of a large statue of Flarelord that was crafted from a glittering red stone. 

"Pure ruby," Lina whispered to Amelia as they approached it. "I'm willing to bet a good chunk of money that's 100 percent ruby." 

Amelia nodded. "I'm willing to bet there's more ruby there than we have in our vaults in Saillune." 

"Oh?" 

Amelia frowned at the interest in Lina's voice. "No, Lina-san. You're not getting a personal tour of the Saillune royal vaults. I really don't want to have to arrest you afterwards." 

Lina held up her hands. "Amelia! What do you take me for?" 

Amelia slanted her a dark look and Lina cringed slightly. OK, so maybe she had considered taking a little something if she ever got the chance to peruse through the Saillune royal vaults. Nothing much, just a small memento of their visit. It's not like they would even miss it! 

As they grew closer, Lina saw that it wasn't just an dais for decoration, but that a long table stood upon it. Human-sized chairs were placed around it with several men occupying the chairs. In the center of the dais, the Elder of the temple sat, calm eyes watching the strangers as they made their way toward him. 

"You have enjoyed your repast," the Elder commented as they reached the dais. 

Lina placed one hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow. "It was decent. Since you seem to like to skip the pleasantries, what took you so long to speak with us?" 

Surprise flickered across the Elder's face before settling back into a placid expression. "We were in discussions to see if you were the ones being referred to in the prophecy." 

"Just a minute!" Shizuri took a couple steps forward. "You dragged us all down to Ceiphied knows where and you're not even sure that the prophecy even referred to us at all? Are Flarelord's priests all this incompetent or just this certain tribe of golden dragons?" 

"Shizuri-san!" Filia hissed, waving frantically at her. "Please, be respectful!" 

Shizuri turned back and gave her an exasperated look. "Respect has to be earned. You and your lot have done nothing to convince me that this is worth taking the trouble over. You're suppose to be a high and mighty race. Why don't you take care of this so-called prophecy of destruction yourself? Your dragon king actually still exists! You can pray to Flarelord and have him take care of this!" 

"You know it doesn't work like that!" 

"Filia." The single word spoken by the Elder cut through the argument and Filia immediately clamped her mouth shut. Mortified, she bowed slightly to the Elder. 

The Elder turned his focus to Shizuri. "It would go against the prophecy, servant of Aqualord, to ask Flarelord to do such a thing." 

"Not to mention that we cannot do it to begin with." A man with a brown mustache who sat on the Elder's left spoke that sentence. Lina's gaze shot over to Filia and noticed that the priestess bristled at the man's words. 

"We must keep this from the Mazoku," the man continued. "There are spies watching us all the time. We can not let them know what is happening." 

"Thanks to you destroying both Hellmaster Phibrizzo and Demon Dragon King Gaav, the Mazoku are starting to panic." The Elder folded his hands in front of him. "Your actions have greatly diminished their power, and from the news that Filia has told us, your defeat of the general and priest of Deep Sea Dolphin is another blow. They will take any chance that they can get to diminish the power of the gods. Hence, neither Flarelord nor those who serve him can risk getting involved in a fight with the Mazoku." 

"Is that so?" Lina folded her arms across her chest and aimed her best glare at the Elder. "Funny. Airlord didn't seem to think that way." 

The placid mask slipped as a look of pure shock, then fury crossed the Elder's face, the latter directed at Filia. Filia froze, her mouth gaping open. Slowly, she shook her head, her breath thready as she tried to remember how to speak. "I didn't know! I swear, I didn't know, Elder! She never told me!" 

"You didn't need to know," Lina informed Filia curtly. 

"Filia..." 

"I swear, I didn't know!" Filia rushed forward until she was a few inches away from the dais. "Elder, I swear to you, I wouldn't lie!" 

_Interesting..._ Lina felt sorry for Filia as the her composure cracked. The priestess was nearly in tears as she did her best to convince the Elder that she hadn't known about Airlord being involved with Mazoku interests. Lina frowned as she watched Filia try to explain and saw the dragon cringe several times. _It's like she's afraid of being struck._

"She's telling the truth," Lina spoke up. "Filia didn't know because she didn't need to know." 

"How do we know that you're not the one lying?" the man on the Elder's left demanded. 

Lina bristled. _I can see why Filia doesn't like that one._ She slowly pulled off her right glove, carefully rolling the leather down to prolong the moment as long as possible. When it was off, she held up her hand, the back of it facing the council. 

"Get behind me," Lina muttered just loud enough for Gourry and Amelia, who flanked her, to hear. "I call upon you, Airlord! Lend me your power!" 

The back of Lina's hand began to glow with the emblem of Airlord. A blue glow started to form in Lina's hand. In a swift motion, Lina turned her hand palm up and released the power. A shaft of blue light shot into the air. 

"No, that's not light." Filia pressed her hand to her mouth. "That's wind! Pure wind!" 

The wind slammed into the temple's roof and through it, creating a hole that Lina knew was actually quite sizable. She gritted her teeth as her energy began to wane. She refused to let the Elder see that she couldn't control the power for long periods of time. Even so, sweat rolled down her face when she allowed the power to subside. Rocks fell from the ceiling and Amelia quickly threw up a shield around them. The rocks tumbled to the ground and formed a ring around the shield. 

"So?" Lina pulled her glove back on. "Convinced?" 

The Elder didn't say anything for a long moment. Lina's gaze locked with the Elder's and they stared at each other intently. He broke it first, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "After the defeat of Hellmaster Phibrizzo, the prophecy arrived along with the appearance of the disturbing light that you can see in the distance." 

Lina gritted her teeth at the dismissal. She took a step forward, about to give him a piece of her mind when she felt a hand on her shoulder. At first, she thought it was Gourry but when she glanced over her shoulder, she was surprised to see that it was Lyos. He shook his head at her and glared at the Elder. "He's not worth shit, Lina," he muttered. 

Filia gasped softly and Shizuri rolled her eyes. "Cut the dramatics. Your Elder is being an ass." 

"You can't speak of the Elder that way!" Filia hissed, scandalized. 

"He's not my Elder and I can speak of him in anyway that I want." Shizuri pulled Filia aside and gestured to the table. "Open your eyes, Filia. Your precious Elder just dismissed Lina's genuine display of power that she personally received from Airlord as if it was just an everyday occurrence. You and your temple say you want humans to fight this fight for you, that the gods won't get involved. Lina's power and the fact that she used it to help defeat Hureika and Rikufalso is proof that they are willing to step up." 

"The light lies so far away that even those of us with wings have failed to reach it." The Elder spoke up again, a little more louder, ignoring the conversations going on among the humans and his priestess. Filia and Shizuri fell silent and Lina relaxed, pulling her arm from Lyos' hold as the Elder continued to address them. 

"Behind the light is something that pertains to the prophecy, therefore we must take extreme care in choosing who will travel out there." The Elder lowered his hands slightly. "You have displayed...an interesting show of power. However, we are still not sure that you are the ones we feel safe in entrusting the fate of the world with." 

Lina growled and started to advance and this time it was Gourry who grabbed her arm. She tensed beneath his hold, but didn't go any further. 

"However, we have no reason not to dismiss you either. So, we're going to take a risk and put this mission in your hands." 

Lina jerked her arm from Gourry's hand and placed her hand on her hip. "You're not one for tact aren't you?" _Or having little surprises dropped in your lap._

The Elder lifted an eyebrow. "You disapprove?" 

"We don't know what you dragons are up to with all of this. You say that you don't trust us, but you sure haven't given us reason to trust you either." 

"Lina's got a point," Lyos said. 

Amelia frowned and pressed her hands to her chin. "But, if we don't do this, who will? There's no telling what horrible things could happen if something isn't done!" 

Lina turned back to her. "It works both ways, Amelia. The gods have the capability to cover their own butts just as well as Mazoku." 

"I still think we should do it! It's the right thing to do!" 

"I think we should do it too," Lyos added. He folded his arms over his chest. "The Mazoku are going to find out about this and they will find out. I'm not going to let them get to anyone the way they got to me." 

"I'm with Lyos." Shizuri walked over and stood next to him. "Not that I hold a great amount of affection for our hosts, but it is my duty - and that of the Knight of Aqualord - to defend our people against any threats caused by Mazoku or anything similar to that. I'll do it for my people. Not for the Golden Dragons." 

"Fine." Lina nearly smirked at the Elder but instead, she faced Gourry. "You've got the last vote. What do you say?" 

It said a lot that Lina asked Gourry for his opinion and they all knew it. Despite their own feelings, if he voiced any misgivings about the mission, Lina would more than likely walk away from it. 

He didn't say anything for a moment and Lina wondered if Gourry understood what was going on to begin with. Then his gaze, calm and steady, met hers. "Lina, I think..." 

His voice was immediately drowned out. There was a large crackling sound a few feet behind her and Lina whirled around to see dark spears of magic forming on the other side of the hall. The group of humans and Filia quickly clustered together, Lyos and Gourry moving out to the front with their hands on their sword hilts. 

A large portal opened and a huge being stepped through it. He was at least three times as tall as Gourry and Lina was quite sure that he would be a good match for one of the dragons in their full form. She stepped forward. _A chimera? No, that can't be, he doesn't look like any I've ever seen._ The being had one normal-looking eye and the other covered by orange scaling. His body combined both a muscular build with a very gaunt-looking waist and legs. 

The Elder shot up from his seat. "You? How did you get into a sacred place like this?" 

Gourry slowly drew the Sword of Light and stepped in directly in front of Lina. Lyos did the same with Banisher, moving to shield Amelia, Shizuri and Filia. 

The being didn't bother to look at any other member of the group other than Gourry. His eye widened slightly as the blade of light flickered before him. 

"Who are you?" 

"My name is Almayce." He kept his focus on Gourry's sword, not bothering to acknowledge the Elder's question directly. "I am from the Overworld." 

"The Overworld?" Lina breathed. 

Gourry blinked. "Overworld?" 

Lina growled, curled her hands into fists and used said fists to knock Gourry across the room. She stomped over to him. "Don't you even dare!" 

Gourry landed on his rear and still managed to skid back a few feet. He gave Lina a pathetic look. "What did I do?" 

Lina loomed over him. "I know that tone of voice! Before you ask, or even embarass the rest of us by trying to guess at it, the Overworld means that it's a world on a plane above this one! In simple words, he comes from a different world than we do, jellyfish brains!" 

Gourry bowed his head in shame. "You could had just told me, you know," he grumbled. 

"And it would had taken the next five hours to do so!" 

"Still, you didn't have to hit me quite so hard!" 

Shizuri sighed and turned her back on the bickering couple. "Someone from the Overworld, huh?" 

"Why have you come to this world? To this temple?" The Elder spoke loudly once more, partly to cover the argument going on between Lina and Gourry. 

For the first time, Almayce turned his attention to the Elder. "I seek five weapons of power for our world. All of them are now located in Ceiphied's world. One of them is here inside this temple, the sword Gorun Nova, that the man over there possesses. I am here to retrieve that weapon." 

The group collectively turned in the direction Almayce indicated to find Lina and Gourry, nearly nose to nose, still fighting with each other. At Almayce's last words, both of them immediately fell silent and, in unison, turned to confront him. 

"Like hell!" Gourry yelled and brandished the sword in front of him. "The Sword of Light is mine!" 

"We've been to hell and back to get that thing back," Lina growled. "We're not about to give it up." 

The Elder approached Almayce. "What do you intend to do with the Sword of Light, Overworlder?" 

"Why do you ask me that?" 

"If we give you the Sword of Light, and you leave at once, then there will not be a problem at all." 

"What the...," Shizuri stammered. 

"You can't just give the Sword of Light away!" Lina glared at the Elder, her dislike of him growing by the second. "It has not and will never belong to you!" 

"It doesn't belong to you either," Gourry muttered under his breath. 

She still heard him. With a quick lash of her hand, she grabbed his shirt and hauled him down until her eyes bore into his. "You. Are. Mine." she hissed in a voice so soft that he almost didn't hear her. "Therefore the sword belongs to me too." 

Gourry gave Lina a baffled look and before he could think of a response, the Elder addressed them. "What we desire is to protect the world. For that, we will sacrifice the Sword of Light." He turned to face Almayce. "Now, Overworlder, what is your plans for the weapon?" 

"What I, and my people, desire to do with the weapon is summon the Dark Lord Darkstar to this world." 

"What?" The shout came from the Elder, the council, Filia, Lina, Shizuri, Lyos and Amelia. 

"Who?" Gourry glanced at Lina. 

She didn't bother knocking him across the room this time. "Darkstar. He's a dark lord that is the equal of Shabranigdu. We've got our own problems to deal with, thank you very much, why do you want to summon Darkstar to this world?" 

_Darkstar..._ Filia's mind started to race through the prophecy and it began to fall into place. "The dark star mentioned in the prophecy..." 

"It literally means Darkstar." Shizuri said, reaching the same conclusion at the same time. The two women exchanged a horrified look. 

Amelia jabbed a finger in the air, launching into full justice speech mode. "You probably want to take over our world using Darkstar's power. In the name of Justice, I, Amelia, will not allow this!" 

Lyos sighed heavily and pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can the justice speeches, princess." 

The corners of Almayce's mouth quirked slightly. "My objective is not world domination." 

"Overworlder! I do not understand why you are wanting to summon Darkstar, but you can do it in a place other than this world. If you are telling us the truth and this world is not your objective, then we will give you the Sword of Light and you will leave this world." 

Amelia's jaw fell at the Elder's words. "So, you're saying that you don't care if Darkstar is summoned at all? Just as long as he does it on another world?" 

_That can't be right._ Filia stared at the Elder in disbelief. "Elder, you don't mean that!" 

"Silence, Filia!" 

Filia backed up slightly, which infuriated Amelia. She dashed forward until she was a few feet away from the Elder. "That wouldn't be just! Is this how servants to the gods conduct their business?" 

"Not all of their servants." Shizuri gritted her teeth and glared at the Elder. "Where I come from, servants to the gods would not stand for such a thing. Then again, what do I know? I'm just a mere servant to the high priest of Aqualord in my lands. It's not like I know anything." 

Filia pressed her hand to her mouth. _Shizuri-san's right. We're the servants to the gods. We're suppose to protect everyone from the powers of the Mazoku and dark lord! We shouldn't be avoiding this problem just to have another world be put at risk!_

The Elder ignored Amelia and Shizuri. "What do you say, Overworlder?" 

"You of this world are not so different from us," Almayce commented. "I, too, do not desire a useless struggle, nor do we care to summon Darkstar to our world either." 

"Well, gee, you'd think there's a good reason behind that," Lyos muttered. 

"I will accept your proposal," Almayce continued. "Once I possess Gorun Nova and the other four weapons, I will have no further need for this world. I promise not to summon Darkstar to this world." 

The Elder gave a slight nod. "That is acceptable. In return, we will help you locate the other four weapons. Once you have them, you will leave this world at once." 

"Just a minute here!" Lina dashed forward, planting herself between Almayce and the Elder. She turned her back on Almayce, glaring at the Elder. "You have no right to speak for any of us, especially when we don't agree. Even when we do say something, you dismiss us like we're some sort of gnat." She jabbed a finger in the Elder's face and slowly advanced on him. "I know your type, old man. You don't like people going against you. I'm not under your control like Filia is." 

Filia's jaw dropped. "Lina-san!" 

"It's true," Shizuri muttered and Filia whirled around to face her. "You're under that man's thumb, just like every other dragon in this room." 

"But, he's the Elder! He's the high priest of the Flarelord temple! I serve under him!" 

"You are in service to Flarelord, not to your Elder. Just because you're a shrine maiden doesn't mean that you don't have the power to think of yourself. Tell me, from your gut, do you think what he's doing is right?" 

Now the Elder faced them, nearly knocking Lina aside in the process. "Do any of you not care about saving the world?" 

Shizuri folded her arms over her chest. "I happen to be really fond of this place. I just don't think you should be handing a weapon like the Sword of Light over to random stranger who just happened to walk into this temple. You even had Filia extensively 'test' us before we came here." 

Gourry and Amelia edged closer to Lina. "What'll we do, Lina-san?" 

"Wait for my orders." 

The Elder turned back toward them. "Now, give me the Sword of Light." 

Gourry stepped out in front of the girls, and gave the older dragon a grim look . "No." 

For the first time, the Elder approached the group. He stopped a few feet away from Gourry and gave him such a cold look at Filia immediately cringed, having recognized it before. The swordsman didn't flinch and stared back at him with an equally stubborn glare. 

"Giving up the Sword of Light is a worthy sacrifice to save the world." The Elder indicated the sheath strapped across Gourry's back. "You have a second sword. You will not be powerless." 

Gourry's grip on the Sword of Light tightened. "I've already sacrificed this sword once. We nearly died tried to get it back and I'm not giving it up again. If I'm going to give this man my sword, it's going to be my decision, not yours." 

"This is a matter of saving the world!" Enraged, the Elder advanced toward Gourry. "What would a mere swordsman know about matters like this?" 

Gourry didn't flinch. "I don't know that much," he admitted. "This whole Overworld thingy's kind of confusing, but I'm not about to just hand over my sword, one that has been in my family for hundreds of years, over to someone I don't even know. Besides, that Almayce guy could still summon that Darkstar fellow to this world. Just because he says he'll do something won't mean that he'll actually do it. Even a mere swordsman knows that much." 

_He's right. Gourry-san's right and so is Shizuri-san. We can't just blindly accept this Almayce's word over all the research we've done and the prophecy! Not after we went through so much to get this sword as well._ Filia watched as the Elder took another step forward and lift his hands and her heart nearly stopped as she realized what he was about to do. She dashed forward, planting herself in front of Gourry with her arms spread out wide to shield him. "Run, Gourry-san! Lina-san, Amelia-san, cast a shield over him!" 

The Elder glared coldly at Filia, then began to chant in an unknown language. Filia's eyes widened with horror. "Get out of here!" she yelled to Gourry. 

Amelia, who had her own hands up to cast a Balus Wall, froze when she heard the words coming from the Elder's mouth. _Oh, Ceiphied...that's Holy Magic!_

Lina grabbed Gourry's arm, deciding to run first and ask questions later. "You heard her, let's move! Raywin..." 

"Ray Freeze." 

Energy snaked out from the Elder, expanding so fast that Lina never managed to complete her own spell. It crawled up their bodies, freezing them where they stood. As the energy encasted Gourry's hands, his grip on the weapon slackened enough to where the hilt dropped to the ground and the blade deactivated. Lina stared around in horror. The spell did not affect the dragons in the room, nor Almayce. Then she saw a flash of movement on the other side of Shizuri. 

The Elder reached for the weapon just as Lyos darted out from behind Shizuri. He snatched up the sword and pointed the hilt at the dragon. "Light, come forth!" 

A new light blade burst forth, longer Lina realized, than the one that she could create. It wasn't as long as the one that Gourry created, but it was pretty close. 

The Elder narrowed his eyes. "How did you break my spell?" 

"Your spell never even touched me, old man." Lyos brandished the blade. "I guess it's one of the perks about being Knight of Aqualord. You can't use the magic of the gods against me. If you want this sword, you're going to have to get it from me first." 

Lina's eyes met Amelia's and she mouthed the word "fireball" to her. Amelia immediately nodded and they began to concentrate the spell into their hands. Lina's eyes went wide when despite the heat, the ice wouldn't melt. _This is the difference between a Holy magic spell and one of the ordinary Shamanistic spells? Oh, crap. I better think of another plan._

Before she could do so, before Lyos could make a move against the Elder or vice versa, what remained of the ceiling that Lina hadn't destroyed earlier caved in. Filia shot her hands into the air and chanted out something that Lina didn't recognize. A huge dome of light formed over the group and the rocks bounced off it the shield as if they weighed no more than a ball of paper. When the last of the rocks hit the ground and the dust settled, Filia released the shield and gasped. 

Valgaav stood in front of the group, hands glowing with energy and prepared to attack.


	12. Who's the Enemy Here?

_Just when I thought we couldn't attract anymore enemies._ Lina eyed Gaav's former henchman as he slowly turned in a circle, taking in everyone that was there. It was useless, but she still struggled against the magic that bound her. Even though Lyos had the Sword of Light, he wouldn't be able to protect all of them. There was Filia's shield, but Lina didn't think that the priestess had very much battleground training.

Valgaav's gaze raked over the room, stopping when he saw Almayce. His elegant features curled into a sneer. "Almayce! You're betraying me!" 

Almayce turned slowly, pinning Valgaav with a cold stare. "Forgive me. I am only doing the work that which you've failed to do." 

Lina's jaw dropped. _No way! Valgaav and Almayce are linked in this! I should had realized it when Almayce came here. That's why Valgaav wanted the Sword of Light from us and was in Sairaag to begin with. It all makes sense now._

Filia quietly approached Lina, taking advantage of the distraction that Valgaav provided. "Lina-san, I'll break the spell on all of you now," she whispered. "As soon as you're free, get out of here." 

"I don't think Valgaav's going to give us a chance to get very far," Lina muttered, her focus still on the energy ball in Valgaav's hands. 

"Die with the rest of them!" Valgaav yelled at Almayce and launched the attack at him, and by default, Lina and Filia who were the closest to him. Almayce turned slightly and blocked the attack with the armor encasing his upper arm, the ball of energy dissipating into thin air leaving only a few minor scratches on the armor. The pressure resulting from it was still enough to blow both the Elder and Lyos back a few feet. The Elder stumbled, hit the floor while Lyos managed to keep his balance and his hold on the Sword of Light. 

Filia touched Lina's arm and muttered something under her breath. Lina's fingers flexed as the feeling began to return to them. She glanced around and saw that Filia's spell was affecting more than just her as the spell was fading from around Gourry, Amelia and Shizuri as well. 

Valgaav gritted his teeth, advancing toward Almayce once more. "Gods. Humans. Mazoku. All of you stand in my way! You will all die!" He reared back and launched another attack. 

Almayce blocked the second attack, turned to Lyos and stretched a thin, bony arm toward him. "Quick! Give me Gorun Nova!" 

"Sorry, buddy. You're going to have to negotiate with the sword's owner for that one. Hey, idiot! Catch!" Lyos tossed the sword to Gourry, who neatly caught it, activating the blade without a sound. Lyos ran to Gourry's side, then drew Banisher. 

Lina grabbed Lyos' arm. "Let's get out of here before all hell breaks loose," she ordered. 

The stars glittered overhead and the desert night was cold as the group rushed outside. The change in temperature and clear air immediately cleared Lina's mind and she quickly started to decide what to do next. They needed to regroup, to figure out what to do now. There wasn't that many options open to them. If Valgaav focused his rage on Almayce, that would take care of them for the moment. There was still the Elder and his council to deal with. In any case, things did not look good. 

Almayce suddenly teleported behind them. "Give me Gorun Nova," he repeated. "If you do, I promise that I will not summon Darkstar to this world." 

Just ahead, Lina saw a line of golden dragons form to block their exit and quickly skidded to a stop. She whirled around, saw that the Elder and his council were backing Almayce. Quickly, she caught Gourry and Amelia's eye and they knew what she was thinking. They were out numbered and there was no place to go. If they handed over the Sword of Light, there was a possibility that they would not get away with their lives. But, the possibility was even greater that they would die right here. 

Gourry and Amelia moved to flank Lina and together, the three faced Almayce. Gourry lifted the Sword of Light and Amelia curled her hands, prepared to cast a defensive spell. 

"Sorry, pal. I don't appreciate the fact that you're willing to sell out us, your own people and those living on other worlds just to promote your own agenda." Lina held up her fist in a deliberate show of power. She concentrated the powers of Airlord into it, just enough for a white glow to appear around her glove. "When it comes to things like that, it's my policy to stop it. And that just doesn't apply to you." Her gaze swept over the Elder, who was visibly starting to lose control and to Valgaav, who had appeared outside as well. 

"I agree!" Amelia lifted her hands slightly and mimicked Lina's moves, allowing the magic to gather between them. "The justice that we believe in is different from yours! We're not in this just to protect ourselves, but everyone on all four worlds!" 

"The princess has a point," Shizuri agreed and moved to Amelia's shoulder, Lyos at her side. "If you insist on doing this, you're now our enemies as well." 

Filia's gaze moved between Lina, then the Elder, then backed to Lina. Decision made, she snatched her mace from its holster and stepped to Gourry's shoulder. "I'm with you, Lina-san." 

"Filia!" Composure gone, the Elder lunged forward. "Don't you care about saving the world?" 

Surprisingly calm, Filia nodded. "Of course I care about it. I do believe that in this case that Lina-san and the others are correct. You can't just sacrifice other innocent people to save yourself. Surely, there is a way to do this and prevent a slaughter." 

The sound of clapping cut through the tension and everyone glanced up to see Xelloss perched on one of the smaller towers, legs crossed at his knees as he watched the show below. "Simply amazing! I'd never imagine that a golden dragon would actually show some guts. The determined, straight-arrowed little shrine maiden turning against her Elder. I never saw that one coming." 

"Xelloss!" Lina cried. 

"Xelloss?" Filia's jaw dropped. "The mortal enemy of the Golden Dragons? The despictable Mazoku who nearly exterminated my people? _That_ Xelloss?" Her hand curled tightly around her mace. 

"Filia! Why did you bring that Mazoku here?" The Elder yelled, sweat running down his cheeks as he fought back his rage. 

"I did not!" Filia shouted back. 

Xelloss faded out, then in again at Filia's side. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Filia-san, isn't it? I'm here to help you out." 

"You're _what_?" Enraged, Filia jabbed her mace just beneath Xelloss' nose. "Are you trying to ruin me?" 

"I think you're doing a fine enough job on your own regarding that," he replied lightly, then narrowed his eyes. "My duty here is to finish off Valgaav." 

Gourry edged closer to Lina. "Who's the enemy here?" 

_Damn good question._ Lina surveyed the courtyard once more and knew that all hell was about to break loose. "My guess? Everyone except us, though Xelloss is rather debatable." 

Xelloss faltered slightly. "Lina-san..." 

Lina shot Xelloss a steely gaze. "Once we're done with this, you and I are going to be having a few choice words." 

"I'll be sure to rearrange my schedule for that." Xelloss reached into his cloak. "But for now, I need to attend to my business." 

He approached Almayce and bowed deeply to him. "Almayce-san, correct? I am Xelloss, priest to Zelas Metallium. I have come on behalf of my lady with an offer for you." 

Almayce didn't reply for a moment, taking the time to size up the newcomer. Finally, he inclined his head. "You may proceed." 

Xelloss pulled a long, thin staff out of his cloak. Almayce's eyes went wide as Xelloss held the staff in both hands and presented it to the being. "My offer is this: You allow me to take custody of your associate, Valgaav, and this weapon is yours. Razud Mezegis if my information is correct." 

"No!" Valgaav shouted from his perch on another building and dove toward Xelloss. Xelloss whirled around with his own staff and shot a ball of energy at Valgaav. 

"Take him," Almayce reached eagerly for the weapon. "Take Valgaav. It is a small sacrifice to pay." 

Xelloss tossed the staff to Almayce as Valgaav screamed in rage. 

"Is that one of the weapons of light, Lina-san?" Amelia whispered. 

"No doubt about it. How the hell did Xelloss have it?" Lina tensed, not liking the situation one single bit. Xelloss appearing had stalled things for now, but his little gift to Almayce was more than likely going to make things much worse. She scanned her own group, sized up the weapons at their disposal. Lyos had Banisher, which would serve them well. Gourry had the Sword of Light, but would it work against its kin? There was also that second sword of Gourry's, plus her, Amelia, and Filia using magic. Shizuri had her illusions. _But will it be enough?_

Almayce swung the weapon toward them, cleaving the blade into the ground. Dirt and rock exploded before them and Lina instinctively threw up an arm. When the dust cleared, she saw Xelloss standing in front of them. 

The Elder backed toward his council, then thrust his arm out to stall his own army. "Don't attack them! Not as long as Xelloss is allied with them. You move against him and he'll wipe us out." 

Xelloss curled his lips into a razor-thin smile. "That's a very wise move on your part, Elder." 

"The _fuck_!" Valgaav shot an attack at them and Xelloss pointed his staff at him. A single shot blasted Valgaav back far enough that it gave Xelloss enough time to leap into the air. "I'll be your opponent, Valgaav," he announced. 

"Let's leave him to it," Lina instructed her group and, as one, they faced Almayce. We have bigger issues to handle ourselves. "Amelia!" Lina mouthed a spell to her and the princess nodded. 

"Gozu Vu Rou!" Lina and Amelia slammed their hands into the ground at the same time. Two black shadows formed, merged and raced toward Almayce. The magic struck his armor, then dissipated in the same way that the earlier attack that Valgaav had used did. 

Lina swore. "Damn it! Gourry! Lyos!" 

The men sprinted forward, attacking Almayce simultaneously from different sides. Almayce quickly turned to parry the Sword of Light with the staff and block Lyos' attack with his body armor. Lina watched as Almayce dueled both of them. _Banisher's not even nicking that armor. And he's not using the light blade of that weapon against the Sword of Light. I wonder why? Did Xelloss give him a fake weapon instead?_

"You don't understand." Almayce said this directly to Gourry as he parried off another shot from the Sword of Light. "You don't understand what our people are going through." 

Sympathy flashed over Gourry's face briefly. "You're going to make us go through even worse if you go through with this!" 

Almayce didn't reply. Instead, he parried with the weapon so hard that it shoved Gourry back. He stumbled, fell to the ground. Shizuri raced forward, chanting out her own spell. Several golems emerged from the ground. He cut through them easily, the illusions fading back into dust. 

Filia cupped her hands in front of her and began to chant, her brooch glowing with power as the strange, but lyrical language sounded over the battlefield. 

Amelia blinked at her. "I was right," she said softly. "That's Holy Magic. It's been lost to our lands for more than a thousand years." 

"Flame Breath!" Filia launched the attack. A magic seal formed over Almayce's body, then exploded. Almayce reared back as the spell dug gouges into his armor, then immediately activated the light blade in the staff. It burst forward, two tails of flaming light as Gourry emerged through the dust and smoke. He leaped into the air, swung his blade down and the Sword of Light connected with Razud Mezegis. 

The light from the combined blades flared to the point that Lina hastily covered her eyes with her. She peered from beneath her glove as Gourry used his body weight to try to propel his blade forward, the combined light sprialing into the air and nearly hitting Valgaav and Xelloss, who were attacking each other in their own deadly dance in the sky. 

Despite his effort, Gourry's skill and strength were no match for Almayce's size. The being shoved his weapon forward, flinging Gourry back a second time as the two light blades exploded. Gourry sailed across the courtyard and into the wall of one of the buildings. His head smacked the stone wall with a sickening crack before he fell to the ground, the Sword of Light flung a few feet away. Blood trickled down the side of his forehead. 

"Gourry!" Forgetting the battle, Lina raced across the courtyard, Amelia at her heels. Both women dropped to next to his prone form. Amelia quickly probed the back of Gourry's head. She glanced up at Lina and the worried look in the princess' eyes told Lina everything that she needed to know. The wound was bad. 

Amelia chanted the full spell for Resurrection, the white healing light growing beneath her hands as she kept one of them supporting Gourry's head and the other on his chest. Lina curled her hands into fists and pressed them into her thighs. She closed her eyes and Amelia's head snapped up when she sensed the raw magic coming from her friend. 

"You." Lina rose to her feet, faced Almayce. She cast a look at him so full of fury that even the Elder recoiled slightly. The aura surrounding her grew, the raw magic crackling around her as she fought to control her anger. "What you've done ... is _unforgiveable_!" she roared, her aura spiking. 

Filia watched, fascinated as Lina faced off against Almayce. _Her power. Her true power. I had no idea that a human could be capable of containing so much magic._ It made a magnificent, but terrifying picture as the wind whipped the sorceress' hair around her face. Filia glanced around the battlefield and noticed that everything had grounded to a complete halt as they all waited to see what Lina would do. 

"Lina-san! Use these!" 

Lina's head snapped toward the sky as Xelloss pulled out some objects from his cloak and flung them toward the ground. A few moments later, the demon's blood tailsmen landed at her feet. Not stopping to question the unexpected gift, she scooped them up, locked them into place in a swift motion, then lifted her hands. "You, who is a part of the Lord of Nightmares..." 

"Ragna Blade." Amelia relaxed slightly and Filia gave her a questioning look. "I was afraid that Lina-san was so mad that she would do something even worse than that." 

Filia remembered the spell, one of the ones Lina had used in their initial fight. She also remembered the display of Airlord's powers. "Is this spell more powerful than Airlord's magic?" 

"On a different level, yes. But, Lina-san knows a spell that even puts that one to shame." Amelia lifted her head and met Filia's gaze briefly. "Were you listening to the chant?" 

"No, I was..." 

" _Ragna Blade!_ " The Sword of Darkness formed in Lina's hands, towering over the battlefield. She charged toward Almayce, springing into the air at the last possible second and mimicking the same attack that Gourry had used a few minutes earlier. 

Almayce lifted Razud Mezegis to block once again and the two blades clashed and locked. Lina gritted her teeth as she used all of her will, all of the magical power she could summon to try and overpower his blade. With a yell, she shoved her blade forward and cut through the light blade of Almayce's sword. The Ragna Blade sliced through, cleaving off Almayce's right arm. Almayce howled in pain as Lina hit the ground, Razud Mezegis and the severed limb landing beside her. 

Lina cracked open her eyes and saw the staff. She lunged for it, her fingers nearly closing around the weapon when it was suddenly snatched away. Her head snapped up and saw Valgaav looming over her, Razud Mezegis braced in both hands, one of the blades aimed at her back. 

"Die, Lina Inverse!" Valgaav roared and plunged the blade down. Lina braced herself for the hit, then glanced up when she head the clash of swords. She could not see anything but Lyos, as he was nearly lying on top of her, Banisher blocking Razud Mezegis. 

"What the hell are you lying there for?" Lyos screamed at her. "Run!" 

She didn't listen. Summoning up what magical reserves she had left, Lina flipped onto her back, reached under Lyos' blade and slammed her hand against Valgaav's chest. "Fireball!" 

The fireball slammed into Valgaav, creating a smoking hole in his abdomen. It sent him flying far enough back that Lina was able to scramble to her feet. She and Lyos backed up a few feet and waited for Valgaav's next move. 

It didn't come. He hunched over, panting as his nails dug into his thighs. Then he glared at Lina with a look so vicious that she was pretty sure if it had been a weapon, she'd been dead on the spot. Valgaav staggered toward them, then stumbled to his knees. Lina's eyes widened as Valgaav started to glow red. He curled his hands into fists, then with a scream of rage, released his aura. It flared around him and formed into the shape of a dragon. He bent forward slightly as a pair of black wings tore themselves from his back and spread, nearly knocking Xelloss aside. 

"What the...?" Xelloss immediately switched positions, landing next to Lina as one of Valgaav's arms elongated and his shoulders broadened. His size doubled as the transformation rippled through his body. 

"He's a dragon?" Lyos stammered. 

For the first time since the beginning of the battle, the Elder spoke up. "An Ancient Dragon. But, that can't be possible. They all should be dead!" 

"Ancient Dragon?" Filia cast a glance at the Elder, her brow knit with confusion. "What are those?" 

"One of them had the power of thousands of our kind. Their violent nature was so detestable to us the Golden Dragons had to exterminate them to save us all!" 

"Is that what you're telling them, Golden Dragon?" Valgaav sneered at him. "Is that your so-called reason for hunting us down? Why don't you try telling the truth for a change? Why don't you tell them how you went and hunted down a dragon race that just wanted peace and you were so afraid of them that you decided to take them out? You didn't want the Ancient Dragons to rip the rule of the dragon races from your hands, and so you exterminated them!" 

Filia slapped a hand to her mouth, trembling. Her throat constricted as what Valgaav said ran through her mind, mingling with what her own Elder had just said. _Could we have done that? Could my race have done such a terrible thing?_

"I never imagined that Valgaav was so powerful. I've been careless," Xelloss muttered. 

"So, this guy now has the power of both a dragon and a Mazoku?" Lyos glanced at Lina, his hands tightening around Banisher. "What are we going to do?" 

Lina didn't say anything. Instead, she kept her focus on Valgaav, watching as his body started to tense and ripple. "He's not handling the combined energies well. What the hell did Gaav do to him?" 

Valgaav took two steps toward her, then his body seized. His newly sprouted limbs rippled once more with energy and he clutched at his chest, howling with pain. He stumbled to his knees, hunched over and heaved up the remains of his last meal. His pants darkened as he lost control of his bodily functions and he continued to vomit until he was dry-heaving. 

Xelloss stepped toward him and held up a hand. "Your observations are, as usual, correct, Lina-san. So sorry to have to do this to you," he addressed Valgaav, a ball of energy forming in his hands. "I think the result of this will put you out of your misery." 

Valgaav gritted his teeth and shot a dark look at Xelloss. "I'm not going to let it end like this," he choked out. His hands tightening around Razud Mezegis, he quickly retreated into the Astral Plane. 

Xelloss grunted and allowed the energy in his hand to dissipate. Lina breathed a bit easier as she scanned the battlefield. Several of the elegant buildings had gaping holes in them. The ring of Golden Dragons surrounding them tensed, but did not move to attack them. 

Lina swung around and saw a pale-faced Gourry sitting up with Shizuri's help. Feeling drained, she crossed over to him and was so happy to see him awake that she scowled. "Fine time for you to go sleeping on the job, Jellyfish. I don't know what the hell we're going to do with you if you keep slouching off like that." 

Gourry blinked at Lina for a moment, then smiled. Because she was standing, he reached for her hand. "I'm sorry I made you worry." 

She didn't say anything, but instead squeezed his hand tightly. 

"Where's Almayce?" Filia scanned the remains of the battlefield and noticed that the being and his severed arm was gone. All that remained was the cracked ground from where he landed after Lina attacked him with the Ragna Blade. 

Gourry knelt, attempted to stand, then pitched forward. Lina and Shizuri immediately caught him and each wrapped an arm around him. He slowly stood, leaning heavily on Lina for support. "I'll be fine," he managed to say, despite gritting his teeth. "I think we've got bigger problems on our hands." He nodded his head in the Elder's direction. 

"I don't think he's going to attack us while Xelloss is here. Isn't that right, Elder?" Lina raised her voice as she locked eyes with the older dragon. 

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he sighed, his shoulders bowing slightly. "So, you really are as powerful as you indicated. You surround yourself with deadly allies. I have underestimated you, Lina Inverse." 

_Funny, how your high and mighty attitude seems to wilt with Xelloss around._ Lina bit her lip, hard, fighting every instinct to bait the Elder. She could goad him into an attack, but none of them were prepared to handle it. "We're leaving this place," she informed him in a cold voice. 

Filia slowly inhaled, then exhaled. She leveled a direct stare at the Elder. "I'm going with them. If you protest, you'll have to fight me." 

"Like you'll get very far, little bitch?" 

Anger snapped in Filia's eyes as she glared at Vrudi. "Do you care to take me on, Vrudi-sama?" 

"Attack her, and you'll face me," Xelloss commented in a light-hearted voice. Vrudi paled, then stepped back. 

Filia whirled around to give Xelloss the same glare she'd given Vrudi. "I don't need the help of a filthy Mazoku!" 

"Tsk, tsk. Too bad, Filia-san. Of course, if you really want to become roasted golden dragon, who am I to stand in your way?" 

"Why you..." 

"Filia!" Shizuri's voice cut through the argument and Filia snapped her head around and saw the exhausted members of her party. She clenched her hands into fists and took several deep breaths. Turning her back on everything she had ever known, she led the way out of the temple. 

The Elder never made a move to call her back. 

\----- 

_Town of Nyuhan_

_Five hours after the battle at Flarelord temple_

It was nearly dawn by the time the exhausted group made their way to the closest town to the Flarelord temple. Lina knew that the only reason that they were able to leave the temple unharmed was because Xelloss stuck with them and for that, she knew that she would owe him a favor. But, for now, all she wanted to do was sleep. 

As Lina secured several rooms for the group, Filia wandered into the tavern part of the inn and sank into a chair. She hunched forward, her head buried in her hands as she struggled with everything that had happened. Tears stung at her eyes and each breath was a battle to maintain control. She glanced up at the touch on her shoulder and was surprised to see Lyos standing there. 

"Hey, the old man ain't worth crying over," he told her. "You did the right thing." 

Filia blinked, felt the tears gather in her eyes. "Somehow, I'm still trying to come around to that decision." 

"Sometimes, having power really, really sucks." 

Filia blinked again, then managed a smile. "Yes, it does. Thank you, Lyos-san." 

"OK." Lina stepped into the tavern and saw that the rest of the group had seated themselves around the largest table with several pots of coffee. "I've got our rooms. We need to get some rest while we can, then decide what we're going to do next. Both Almayce and Valgaav are going to be coming after us eventually for the rest of the Darkstar weapons." Her gaze fell on Filia. "I wouldn't be surprised if your Elder also joins in the hunt. So, we've got a choice. We've got to find those other three weapons before they do." 

"Lina-san." Filia faltered for a moment, then clenched her hands tightly. "I don't want the Elder to have the weapons. I also want to see if the prophecy is true. I want to see if Valgaav's story is true or not. If you'll have me, I'd like to stay with your group." 

Lina rolled her eyes. "Who said anything about you leaving, Filia?" 

"Well, I thought..." 

"If you thought that we're going to punish you for something your Elder did, you're wrong." Filia glanced over and saw the warmth and kindness in Amelia's eyes. "You're one of us now, Filia-san." 

Shizuri folded her arms over her chest. "I'm with Filia. I want to know what happened to these Ancient Dragons. We're going to have to face Valgaav at some point during all of this. I want to know as much about him as possible." 

Amelia's focus shifted to the tailsmen hooked at Lina's neck, wrists and waist. "I wonder how Xelloss-san got those? And where did he get the weapon?" 

Gourry looked from one member of the party to the other, then his eyes went slightly vacant. After a moment, they cleared again and he held up a finger. "You know that weird hole in Atlas City, Lina?" 

"Hmm? What about it?" 

"That Darkstar weapon looked like it could fit in there." 

Lina was in the process of reaching for a cup of coffee when Gourry's words sank in. She froze, eyes going wide as a sudden picture of the debris of the Sorcerer's Guild in Atlas City came back into her mind. A moment later, her fists slammed on the table and she shot out of her seat. "Xelloss! Where are you? Answer me, damn it! Xelloss!" 

"I'm sure the whole town is enjoying being woken up by your lovely voice, Lina-san." Xelloss faded into view in front of her and before he could move, she had one arm wrapped around his neck, the other ready to deliver a kidney jab. "I do enjoy your methods of showing appreciation, Lina-san." 

Filia rose, her mace in hand. "I can help you with that, Lina-san." 

Xelloss turned mournful eyes to the dragon. "Why, Filia-san. I didn't realize you shared Lina-san masochistic tendencies." 

"You..." 

"Later, Filia," Lina said curtly and tightened her hold. "I've got a couple of questions for you." 

"Naturally." 

"First. How'd you get ahold of my tailsmen? I lost them sometime after trying the Giga Slave against Phibrizzo." 

Xelloss managed a brief smile. "Now, now, Lina-san. You know that's a secret. It's just say they were discovered and given to me for safekeeping until you needed them again. I figured that when you were fighting Almayce that it was a good time for you to need them." 

"And you didn't think to give them to me before Gourry nearly had his head cracked open like a grapefruit?" 

"But, Lina, I'm..." 

"Shut up," Lina ordered and Gourry immediately clamped his mouth shut. 

"Well, I didn't know how the weapons would react against each other. I was fighting Valgaav at the time, you know." 

Lina grunted, but did not relax her hold on him. Instead, it tightened. But when a normal human's face would had been blue at this point, Xelloss' remained the same pale color it always was. "Second question. Why the hell did you incinerate the Atlas City Sorcerer's Guild and half of the city along with it?" 

"You _what_?" Amelia shot out of her seat, hands gripping the table. " _Xelloss-san!_ " 

Xelloss faded from Lina's hold and reappeared a few feet away. "Very clever, Lina-san. I'm not surprised that you were able to put the pieces together." 

"I didn't do it." Lina jabbed a finger at Gourry. "He did because he has a good eye for detail. Or do you remember the little fact that Gourry figured out who you really were long before the rest of us did?" 

"Point conceded." Xelloss inclined his head to Gourry slightly and Lina smirked. During their search for the Claire Bible, Xelloss had interacted with Gourry the least out of their entire group and usually ignored his existence - which made the discovery of Gourry being the first to figure out Xelloss' Mazoku identity an even bigger shock. 

"Gourry saw the initial impression of the box the weapon was kept in on the ground. When he pointed out that the impression and the weapon were the same size, it suddenly hit me. You killed Tarim for the weapon." 

"Was that really such a loss to humanity, Lina-san?" 

He had a point there. Lina's eyes went cold. "More than 3,000 people are dead because of what you did, Xelloss." 

Xelloss shrugged. "I was following orders, Lina-san. You have to take some necessary causalities in order to win the war." 

"Those weren't necessary!" Lina roared. She marched up to Xelloss, jabbed a finger between his eyes. "You're going to be punished for what you did to those people. I can't hurt you for it and, damn it, we're more than likely going to need you to get through this. But I'm going to make you suffer." 

Xelloss gave her an amused smile. "And how will you accomplish that, Lina-san?" 

Lina never broke eye contact with him. "Amelia. Do your worst." 

\----- 

"Lina, doesn't that fall somewhere in the category of cruel and unusual punishment?" 

"Shut up, Gourry." 

"I mean, what Xelloss did wasn't a good thing, but..." 

"I said, shut up, Gourry!" Lina reached her room and tossed an angry look at him. "Or would you like to go back downstairs and join Xelloss in receiving the justice speech to end all justice speeches?" 

Gourry paled and Lina smirked. She placed a hand on her knob and could already picture the soft bed waiting for her. She opened the door, then glanced over her shoulder at Gourry, Shizuri and Lyos, who had all come upstairs with her. Filia had remained behind, to assist Amelia in punishing Xelloss. Of course, he would probably slip away, but Lina hoped that Amelia's tirade would make Xelloss feel ill for the next few days. 

"Something wrong, Lina?" 

Lina frowned and gave Shizuri a thoughtful look. "We were so busy confronting Xelloss over what happened to Atlas City that it didn't register with me. It makes sense though - his retrieving the weapon from Atlas City, then leading Gourry to the Sword of Light." 

"That Xelloss is going after the Darkstar weapons too, isn't he?" 

Lina nodded to Lyos. "I'm willing to bet every last cent I have on it."


	13. The Offer

For the first time in days, Lina was able to change into pajamas for bed. _Like a normal person_ , she thought as she tossed her clothes in the laundry basket and set it outside the door so the inn staff could clean them. Her tired, aching body longed to stretch out on the bed, but years of discipline took over and she headed for the cloak that she'd heaped on one of the chairs before she took her bath.

She'd thrown a minor fit to get her own room for the night, but she craved the privacy. She needed to think and she couldn't do that with Amelia ranting about the unjustness of what Almayce and Valgaav were doing along with Xelloss destroying a good chunk of Atlas City, Shizuri trying to get more information about why Valgaav was trying to track them and Filia angsting over everything that had happened. When Filia refused to pay for a single room for Lina, she'd given in and paid for it herself. It was that important to her. 

Lina sat at the small table in the corner and opened her spellbook to the back, where she had constantly attached pages over the years. With meticulous detail, she wrote down the details surrounding her battle that day with Valgaav and Almayce, the spells used and the effect of the spells on her, her group and those she targeted. 

_The light weapon that Almayce had is definitely as powerful as the Sword of Light, even moreso in my opinion. What he didn't know is that I've fought the Sword of Light with the Ragna Blade before. Not even then could I fully defeat the Sword of Light and I was only able to crack Gourry's armor. This blade was a lot more difficult to deflect. However, it goes to show Almayce's lack of skill with a sword that I was able to sever a limb the way I did._

The quill hovered over the parchment as the memories came back to Lina. If she had known it was Gourry encased in that head-to-toe sealed armor that Phibrizzo had stuffed him in, she would had never fought him. That fight had been lumped into the category of "stuff to never tell Gourry" regarding his time in captivity. She knew that he wouldn't handle the fact that he nearly killed her very well. 

She stared at the last sentence and thought it sounded a little boastful. Lina sighed. It was what it was and there was no use dwelling on it. She was quite sick of reliving that horrible period of her life. Closing the spellbook, Lina set it and her writing equipment aside. She really needed to write a letter back to her family, now that Amelia had done the legwork of opening up postal service between these lands and those within the Mazoku barrier. But exhaustion settled in and she needed sleep, real sleep. 

Lina crawled beneath the covers and nearly groaned in pleasure as her body sank into the soft mattress and her head nestled on an equally soft pillow. Nothing in this world was better than a good bed she decided as she turned onto her side and started to sink into slumber. 

Groggily, she lifted her head when she heard a knock at the door. _I'm going to fireball whoever's at the other end. No, wait, I can't do that. That means I'll lose this bed. Damn it._ "Come back in the afternoon," she muttered. 

The door opened a crack and someone shifted outside. Then it opened a bit wider. "Lina?" Gourry called out in a hushed voice. "You awake?" 

"I'm trying not to be. Go away." Lina turned so that she faced away from the door and sighed in relief when it shut. _Wow, Gourry actually took a hint for once._

Moments later, the mattress dipped and Lina rolled over to see Gourry sitting at the foot of the bed. Or not. "Can't you see a girl needs her beauty sleep?" 

Gourry cocked his head to one side. "You don't need any beauty sleep." 

Lina grabbed the extra pillow and smacked him with it, too tired to do anything worse. "Go away," she ordered again. "Get some sleep. You're the one who had your head cracked open like an egg today." 

He gripped the bedpost and started to rise, then sank back down again. "Lina, I've been thinking about something." 

"Fine time for you to begin thinking. Did ramming your head into a stone wall knock a few brains back into place?" she retorted and gave up on sleeping. It appeared as if she wasn't going to be getting any rest until she dealt with this. Lina pushed herself into a sitting position. "This better be good." 

"Well, I was wondering something." For the first time, Lina saw that Gourry was holding the Sword of Light, or rather its hilt. "What do you plan to do when we find these weapons?" 

It was a good question. Lina drew her knees up and hugged her legs. "The only thing I can think to do with the right now is destroy them. Or, at least one of them. You know as much as...wait, let me rephrase that," she commented, knowing his sieve-like memory. "We don't know much about the weapons. We know the limits of the Sword of Light." 

"We do?" Gourry gave her a surprised look and Lina cursed to herself. 

"Well, just what I've seen of you using it, the time I channeled the Giga Slave into it, so on and so forth," she hastily added. "From what Almayce was saying, all the weapons are needed to summon Darkstar. If we can destroy one of the weapons, it might be enough to stop this." 

"I see." Gourry stared at the sword in his hands and appeared to be mulling things over. After a moment, he thrust the hilt at her. "Take the sword, Lina." 

Her eyes lit up and she grabbed it. She clung to it, holding it close like a valued piece of treasure. "You're giving me the Sword of Light? Gourry, I could kiss you!" 

"I don't want you to have it. I want you to destroy it." 

Lina dropped the sword. " _What?_ " 

Gourry fidgeted a little, but his gaze on her was steady. "Maybe it'll stop all this, if we destroy the Sword of Light. We already have it and..." 

"No!" Lina screeched. She lunged forward and grabbed his shirt. "No, no, no, jellyfish brains! We've gone to too much trouble just to get this sword back." She shook him. "Besides, we need the Sword of Light." 

"Wh...why?" Gourry babbled as his head bobbled back and forth. 

Lina let him go and sat back on her haunches. She couldn't help but be touched by the offer, but she was also angry that he would consider it. "Bait, jellyfish. As long as we have the Sword of Light, either Almayce, Valgaav or both will be coming after us. I don't see Valgaav leaving us alone to begin with, but I don't want Almayce to figure out a way to summon Darkstar. Not to mention there's Xelloss." She grabbed the sword hilt, tossed it at him. "Keep the sword." 

Gourry worried his lip as he picked it up and saw the circles under Lina's eyes. Even though she'd destroyed Almayce's weapon using the Ragna Blade, it'd left her drained. He knew that if that hadn't work, she'd be forced to use Airlord's power. He remembered her exhaustion after using her high-powered spells to fight off Filia, then the woman... _What was her name? Oh, Oren._ Oren had told them that when a person used the god's power, it ate away at their life force. _You idiot. You need to keep the sword so she doesn't have to resort to using that power._

"Gourry?" Lina tilted her head to one side slightly. "What's with the weird look?" 

"Huh?" he startled, then managed a smile. "Oh, nothing." He reached forward and ruffled her hair. He'd intended to just wish her a good night and head back to his room, but somehow his hands snaked their way around her and pulled her to him. He closed his eyes and held her as tightly as possible as the worry swamped through him. 

"Hey, hey, what gives?" Lina pressed a hand to his chest and pushed away enough so she could look up at him. She saw his worried eyes and managed a smile in return. "Silly jellyfish," she said affectionately. "Don't be so worried. You've said it yourself, we've gotten ourselves into worse messes than this and we've come out okay. Save the angst for those who can pull it off, like Zel." Lina pulled away and schooled her features in what she considered to be her best Zelgadiss face. "I'm Zelgadiss Greywords," she said pitching her voice as low as possible. "I want coffee, a book and let me angst in peace." 

Now Gourry was laughing. "You sound a lot like him!" 

Pleased with herself, Lina winked. It really was a bad imitation, she thought, but it had done the job. "Now, let me get some sleep before I kick you into the next town." 

"Yes ma'am," he replied, but didn't move. Instead, his gaze fell on her lips and her heart started to beat a little faster. 

"Say, Lina?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Did you mean what you said back then?" 

She frowned at him. "I've said a lot of things in the past, jellyfish. Be specific." 

"When the Elder wanted the Sword of Light. You said I was yours." 

She flushed, having forgotten that specific part of the conversation. _Trust Gourry to remember the things that are probably best forgotten._ Lina shrugged. "It's not a big deal or anything. It's just.... I.... Well, you see..." 

He enjoyed seeing her so possessive. "That's OK," he said happily. "You're mine too." 

Her cheeks went scarlet. "Huh? No, wait, I think you've got it..." Before she could manage anything after that, he leaned over and was kissing her deeply. Once the shock ebbed away, she whimpered a little, then slipped her arms around his neck. She put energy that she didn't even know she had into returning his kisses as her hands tangled with his hair. His hands moved through her hair, wrapping the strands around his fingers. 

They broke apart when the need for air grew too great. He lightly kissed her forehead and she tilted her head up, as she pulled him closer, kissing him with as much passion as she could. His hands wandered from her hair and skimmed down her back, the featherlight touch raising goose pimples along her skin. Parts of her body started to grow even more sensitive as he moved from her lips and began kissing his way down her neck to her collarbone. When his tongue nipped out and laved the spot where her neck and shoulders joined, she nearly shot off the bed. 

_Oh, I want him to...I'm not sure what. I wonder if it would sound wrong if I asked him to touch...no, don't even go in that direction!_

She didn't have to vocalize it. One of his hands gently made its way across her ribcage, then up until it was in new territory they hadn't explored before. _Oh wow...this feels good._ The thought lazily made its way through her foggy mind as she pressed herself closer to him for a moment, followed by a second one that reminded her that perhaps this wasn't the best time to be experimenting with something like this. 

She gently pulled away and saw that his eyes had gone liquid with desire. She felt as groggy as she'd been when he'd initially come into her room and knew now that it was for a different reason. She wondered if her eyes had the same look as his. 

She knew she needed to go ahead and send him back to his own room, but then his hand gently squeezed her breast and her capacity to think immediately diminished. Half-amused, she glanced down at where he kneaded her flesh through the thin cloth of her pajamas. "I thought you said there wasn't much there." 

His hand stilled. "Do you want me to stop?" 

"No." In response, she jerked on his shirt and crushed her lips to his. His eyes widened with surprise before enthusiastically returning it. Lina scooted closer to him, then straddled his hips. Even through the layers of blankets and clothing, she could still feel the hardness that signaled his attraction to her. She broke the kiss, gave Gourry a saucy grin. "I guess that this..." she rocked her hips slightly against him, "proves that even a flat-chested kid like me can be attractive. Of course, you're the one who calls me flat-chested. I preferred to say perfectly proportioned in a very petite package." 

"Well, I suppose there's just one way to find out," Gourry replied cheerfully and proceeded to do the last thing that Lina thought he would do. He reached for the buttons on her pajamas and started to undo them. 

"Now, now, wait a minute!" She started to bat his hands away. "I didn't say you could take off my clothes!" 

"I'm not taking off your clothes! I'm just going to look to see if you have any breasts." 

"You know damn well I have breasts! What did you think you were fondling just a minute ago?" 

He didn't say anything, but instead parted her pajama top. Their eyes met and she lifted her chin stubbornly while at the same time thrusting what assets that she did have forward at him. His gaze lowered slowly to her breasts and she was pleased when he sucked in his breath slightly. No, they weren't Sylphiel's, Amelia's, Shizuri's or even Filia's, but Lina was willing to bet a good amount of money that they were the first Gourry had seen in a situation like this. 

He stared at them so hard that she thought she heard the gears in his brain struggle to work. After a moment, he experimentally smoothed his hand over one of her breasts, then slowly drew it out, pinching her nipple between his fingers. The resulting jolt of sensation shot straight to her groin and her little gasp of pleasure surprised both of them. He repeated it again, with a bit surer hand and grinned at the response he got from her. 

His mouth went dry and he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her right there, over her heart. He lowered his head, skimming his mouth over her breast until she gasped and made little needy sounds that fueled his own desire. After paying close attention to one breast, he moved to the other, his hand massaging the one breast his mouth had just left. She whimpered now, had her hands threaded through his hair once again as she held his head close to her. 

Instinct had her slipping her hands beneath his shirt and skimming them up his chest until she located two hard little nubs. She lightly scraped her thumbs over them and grinned when he gasped and lifted his head to stare at her, stunned. 

"I didn't tell you to stop," she commented lightly. 

"I didn't expect you to do that though!" 

"Oh? You didn't like it?" 

He went red. "Of course I liked it." 

"Oh, good." She pushed his shirt until he helped her remove it. Then she leaned forward and lightly brushed her tongue against one of his nipples. This time, he was the one who whimpered and his hips automatically jerked as she gave his chest the same throughout attention that he'd given hers. Then she lightly kissed her way up his chest, nipped at his throat, then worked her way up his jaw until their lips met once more. 

As they kissed, he shifted them until she was on her back and he lay partially on top of her. One of his legs was in-between hers and his erection pressed against her thigh. For a moment, it startled her and nearly snapped her back to reality - a reality where they really shouldn't be doing this, not right now. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to call an end to this. For the first time since everything with Filia...or really, everything with Hureika began, Lina felt that her problems had been pushed somewhere to the back of her mind. There was no worrying about trying to save the world, about how to deal with Almayce, Valgaav, the Elder and Council at the Flarelord Temple, about making sure she pleased her sister, about ensuring the safety of those within her party. For now, it was just her and Gourry and the freedom to be completely themselves and who they were when they were with each other. 

Although, she decided, this was a new facet of their relationship that had plenty of possibilities. 

His hand was skimming her body again, this time lingering close around the waistband of her pajama pants. She had a sudden flash of his hand touching her in a place that she had explored herself only a few times, usually armed with fantasies about him. She moaned as she visualized this, her legs splaying open wider in anticipation. 

He hesitated when she tilted her head back, then slipped his hand beneath the waistband of her pants. She seemed to be enjoying what he was doing so far. He knew the very basics of what they were doing, and knew his own body better than he knew hers. Perhaps the same things that brought him pleasure would do the same to her. 

Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed over the short, wiry curls at the apex of her thighs, then encountered wetness. Slowly, he separated her folds, carefully mapping out the area with his fingers when one of them slipped over a hard nub that caused her to jerk her hips and gasp his name. He immediately lifted his head and saw that her head was thrown back, her hands gripping the sheets. He grinned. _Bull's eye._

He went to work, using two fingers to manipulate that one little nub, his eyes locked on her face as she made helpless little cries and strangled noises that sounded like his name. Feeling bolder, he shifted his hand and her eyes opened, suddenly clear. 

"You stop that," she gasped, "and I am so frying your ass." 

"Just wait," he told her and continued his exploration. She angrily bucked her hips. It felt good with his fingers tracing the different parts of her body, but she wanted him back where he was before. 

The movement caused his fingers to immediately find what he was looking for and one of them slid into her. Whatever she'd been about to yell at him was suddenly choked off with a strangled, "oh!" Pleased, he worked a second finger inside, found her extremely wet and knew that it was for him and when the time came for them to fully join. 

But for now, he thrust his fingers into her and she spread her legs out as wide as possible, her body trembling as he slowly moved his fingers in and out of her. The flat of his hand hit the one part of her that made her whimper, craving more stimulating. Her hands clenched as her body moved faster beneath his touch. Her eyes snapped open as she went tense, crying out helplessly as she reached her orgasm. Seeing her this way, flushed and absolutely beautiful, had him dropping his head to her shoulder, shuddering as he struggled to maintain control over his own body. 

It wasn't working. As her body relaxed and went limp under his, he could feel his own body starting to betray him as what happened kept replaying in his mind. 

Exhausted, but completely relaxed for the first time in weeks, Lina lifted her head and saw the look of intense concentration on Gourry's face, his eyes closed and breathing labored. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm...fine. Give me a minute." 

It took her a moment to fully comprehend what was wrong with him, but his erection still pressing against her thigh gave her a good idea as to what the nature of his problem was. Suddenly filled with an immense desire to see him lose control the way that she did, she ran her hands down his chest then taking a deep breath, skimmed her fingers over the bulge in his pants. His head snapped up and she smiled at him, a slow, lazy, mischievous smile as she lightly scratched her fingernails over the cloth. 

"Why don't you let me help you with that," she whispered in his ear, feeling bolder by the second. She found the buttons holding his pants together and quickly undid them. It shocked her for a moment when the last button gave way and he spilled, hot and hard, into her hands. She paled for a moment, realizing exactly what part of the anatomy she was holding and that she had never dreamed of doing that before. 

The discomfort faded when she looked into his face and saw that his eyes were closed, his arms shaking as he did his best to brace himself above her. She could feel the shudders rippling through him, hear the whimpering moans that he probably didn't realize he was making and suddenly felt more powerful than she'd ever felt when practicing magic. With a wicked smile born of a desire to see him fall to pieces the way that he had done to her minutes earlier, she wrapped her small hand around him and began to stroke. 

His hands pressed flat against the mattress and his body rocked against hers as she firmly stroked the flesh that was growing damp with his own wetness and the sweat from her hands. She watched, fascinated as he called her name in a broken voice. Switching her hold on him, she pressed against his chest until he was on his back and she loomed over him. He opened those magnificent eyes for her just as her hand stroked up, then they went blind as her fingers brushed over the tip of his shaft and he exploded. 

When the world stopped spinning, Gourry found Lina sitting on her knees beside him, looking down at him with self-satisfaction. Then she glanced at her hand and grimaced. The look on her face was so funny that he found the energy to laugh, just a little. 

"That's gross," she muttered and noticed that it just wasn't on her hands, but on her pajamas as well and even down the front of her chest from where her top still gaped open. Even though it was gross and she should had expected it, it didn't stop the pride that she felt for bringing him over the edge, for making him lose himself beneath her hands. 

Lina got off the bed and grabbed a clean towel from the washstand. She filled the basin with water and cleaned herself as best as she could. Her pajamas needed to be changed, so she retrieved her spare pair and glared across the room at Gourry. "Close your...oh." A smile tugged at her lips to see him, still in various stages of undress, fast asleep in her bed. She quickly changed and approached him. She really needed to send him to his own room, but a large part of her didn't want him to leave either. 

She stood at the foot of the bed, inspecting his body for the first time - the muscular chest honed from years of swordwork, lightly laced with scars from various battles. Her heart beat a little faster as her gaze skimmed down to his now-limp sex and realized it was nothing different from the other men she'd seen naked before. But, she had yet to see it fully aroused. It certainly felt like something when it was in her hands. 

Lina tossed a wet towel in Gourry's face. He could clean himself up. She wasn't _that_ comfortable around him yet. She laughed when he sputtered and grabbed the cloth, nearly flinging it back at her. She stuck her tongue at him and whirled around, waiting until he'd cleaned himself up and fixed his clothes. Because she knew him all too well, she lightly commented, "Throw that towel at my back and you'll live to regret it." 

When she heard the towel plop onto the nightstand, Lina crawled into bed beside Gourry. They stared at each other, wondering what to do or say next. Over Gourry's shoulder, Lina saw that the sun was climbing higher into the sky. She yawned and settled next to him, lying her head on his chest. He pulled her close and without another word, they fell asleep, leaving the nightmare-ish day they'd had behind them.


	14. Adventure Among the Books

_Shrigan City, Kingdom of Ralteague_  
 _One month after the battle at the Temple to Flarelord_

It was an exhausted group of travelers that stumbled into Shrigan City close to sunset after weeks of hard traveling. Lina had vetoed making the return trip to the lands that were once within the Mazoku barrier via dragon flight, much to Gourry's relief. It had given the group the chance to poke their noses into several towns and investigate rumors about odd artifacts and strange weapons. 

"I'm still going off my hunch that most of the weapons are within the barrier lands," Lina said to Filia as they walked side by side down the main road that led to the town square. "Xelloss found one weapon in Atlas City and I assume the Gabriev ancestors discovered the Sword of Light somewhere around Sairaag." 

"It would make sense," Filia agreed. "Your lands were sealed off from the rest of the world for more than 1,000 years. It wasn't until after the barrier had fallen that the prophecy first came about. So, that's probably when Almayce was able to sense where the weapons were." 

"But, if that's the case, why is only the Sword of Light so well-known? Don't you think we would had heard something about another weapon with similar powers?" 

Lina considered Amelia's question for a moment. "I'm willing to bet that the other weapons look a lot closer to the one that Xelloss has rather to the one that Gourry has. A skilled sorcerer would be able to detect magical properties, but it would take a lot of guesswork and sheer luck to link the Sword of Light with a strange-looking weapon when they're both deactivated." 

"I wonder why the Sword of Light looks so different?" Filia wondered. 

Lina shrugged. "Hopefully, we'll find out. There it is." She stopped at the edge of the town green and pointed at a large, multi-story building that stood across the green from them. It dwarfed the other buildings by at least two stories and the architecture appeared to have more in common with the royal palace of Saillune than the other ordinary looking buildings in the city. "The Library of Shrigan, considered to be one of the four greatest libraries within the barrier lands. Well, three now that Sairaag's been destroyed. The other two libraries are in Saillune and Zefielia." 

Impressed, Filia moved ahead of the group to get a closer look at the building. "Is this just for magic?" 

"No, ordinary people can use it too. However, it holds the second-largest collection of magical artifacts within the barrier, Zefielia's library being the only one that dwarfs this collection." 

"I'm surprised that Saillune's libraries doesn't beat this one." Filia glanced over her shoulder at Amelia. 

"It would, if not for the law that forbids us from collecting any artifacts with black magic in it or used to perform black magic." Amelia smiled ruefully. "Saillune's the white magic capital of our world. It forms the shape of a white magic seal...or did until Lina-san accidentally destroyed part of it." 

Filia massaged her temples. "Wait. Don't even tell me. I'm not sure I want to know the circumstances behind it." 

"It was either take out a quarter of the city or let a huge chunk of rock destroy all of it. I still don't see how that's my fault," Lina muttered. 

"I just hope that we have better luck here than at the last place we looked," Shizuri commented. "All we could get out of them was something about a child-eating demonic chimera that passed through a month or so ago." 

Lina rolled her eyes at Amelia's crestfallen look. It hadn't taken the group long to figure out that said chimera was Zelgadiss and no one had known where he'd gone. "Cheer up, Amelia. At least we know that Zel's doing fine at least. We'll probably run across his path one day. Besides, it's not every day that you get branded as a cannibal." 

Gourry glanced over at her. "Huh? How can you be branded with a can of balls?" 

Five minutes, a broken window and a whimpering swordsman stuffed into a box of wooden balls later, Lina stepped out of the nearby general store, brushing the dirt from her hands. "Now, let's go see if there's anything in this library that can help us." 

Filia stared at the general store. "I know I've said this before, but Lina-san and Gourry-san are the oddest couple that I've ever encountered." 

"And, believe it or not, it works. You've seen it yourself," Shizuri replied as Gourry stumbled out of the general store with a couple of the balls still stuffed down his shirt. They fell to the street as he moved to join them. One rolled across the street until it bumped into the toe of Filia's shoe. 

"If I hadn't seen it, I would had never believe it," Filia replied and they followed Lina into the library. 

\----- 

The chief librarian of the Shrigan Library was a short, plump woman with greying brown hair that was twisted into a huge bun that nearly dwarfed her head. Thick, horn-rimmed glasses were perched on an equally plump nose and full lips were twisted into a frown as Lina made her case. 

"Sorry, can't help you," the librarian replied, then dismissed them with a wave. "You're free to look at the books as much as you'd like, but our archives are off limits." 

"Off limits?" Lina leaned forward. "Last time I was here, most of them were in a series of special public viewing rooms." 

"And, the public will view them again once they've stopped abusing their privileges." The librarian shuffled through a stack of papers. "The city's after me to close down the library until our problems are resolved, Miss..." 

"Inverse. Lina Inverse." 

The librarian's head snapped up so fast that Lina was surprised that her glasses didn't fly off. "The dragon spooker? Lina Inverse?" 

"That's me," Lina grumbled, her teeth set on edge. 

Filia leaned over to Amelia. "I knew that Lina-san has a reputation, but I didn't realize that everyone was afraid of her." 

Amelia had her hands neatly folded in her lap and a cheerful smile pasted on her face. "It assures us that we never know a stranger when we enter new towns." 

"Shut up," Lina snapped at them, then turned back to the librarian. "Yes, yes, enemy of all who live, dragons avoid me, small children wet themselves at mention of my name, the town of Korsuga has orders to stone me on sight, blah, blah. Now, look..." 

"Do they really want to stone her on sight?" Filia asked Amelia. 

"That one's a new one to me." 

"Oh, that one!" Gourry thumped his fist in the palm of his other hand. "They actually want to stone me too, but I bet I could get out of that one. Lina killed a bandit group and didn't kill their pet dragon." 

Lina jabbed a finger in Gourry's face "Excuse me, Mr. "I Must Be The Hero," but you had a sizable role in that one!" 

Gourry gave her a patient look that infuriated her. "You didn't do enough research and didn't know they had a dragon there to begin with." 

"You still took out half the bandits. You share the blame, pal." 

"Not on your life, Lina!" 

The librarian shoved her glasses up her nose. "Excuse me. If you're going to bicker amongst yourselves, do take it outside." 

Amelia flushed and bowed slightly. "I'm very sorry, ma'am." 

"You were there much longer than I was! I only came along at the very end! Therefore, you killed more, you get more of the blame." 

"Yes, but the blame automatically passed onto you when you arrived on the scene!" 

"Says who?" 

"The law of course! My own personal law. I assign blame to whoever I see fit. I think you're the perfect one to take the blame for that one, Gourry-chan!" 

"Like hell!" 

The rest of the group eyed Lina and Gourry warily. Lyos started to unsheath Banisher. "You know, if you don't mind some structural damage to the building, I might be able to take care of this." 

"Don't bother, Lyos-san," Filia replied and reached into her cloak. "I may not know them as well as you do, but I do know this much." She pulled out a handheld dinner bell and rang it, causing Lina and Gourry to both immediately shut up and swing their heads in her direction. 

The librarian shoved her glasses further up her nose. "As I was saying, if you can't hold a civilized conversation in here, you will be escorted out immediately. Now, if you all are willing to sit here and behave like adults, I have a job proposition for you." 

"I believe behaving like adults in this case refers to the two of you," Shizuri slanted a look at Lina and Gourry. The couple glared, then firmly turned their backs on each other. Shizuri sighed. 

The librarian swept her gaze over the assembled group once more and pursed her lips. "I should ask you all to leave right now, but I need your help. My name is Nikea and I am the chief librarian. During the past two weeks, there have been a series of break-ins in the magical artifacts section of the library. Several small artifacts have been taken, but the most disturbing is the fact that someone is obviously looking for something else. Many of the artifacts are misplaced and some scattered around haphazardly. I want you to guard the magical artifacts and catch the thief the next time he or she comes here." 

As she spoke, Lina leaned forward in her seat slightly. _My gut's saying one of the weapons is here. I bet the thief's Valgaav_. "In return for this, you will allow us to examine the artifacts ourselves?" 

"With my supervision." Nikea gave Lina a look that plainly said she didn't trust her not to take anything. "You will be allowed access to the archives only if you stop the thief. That section of the library is currently sealed. The only way in is through me." 

Lina crossed her legs and lifted an eyebrow. "Hmm...seems like someone knows how to circumvent your seals, Nikea-san." 

"Don't take that tone of voice with me, young lady," Nikea snapped. "If you don't care for this, I will go elsewhere for aid." 

Lina drew herself up, her eyes challenging Nikea's. She grit her teeth and managed to speak in the most pleasant voice she could muster under the circumstances. "The terms of your agreement are fine by me. We'll begin our patrol when the library closes tonight." 

\----- 

Nikea took the group on a brief tour of the library, repeating the areas where they could and could not go so many times that Lina was quite sure even Gourry could recite them from memory. The last place she stopped was in front of a door with several padlocks on it and a small glass window in the door. Through it, Lina could see a large sword hanging on the wall opposite the entrance. 

"This," Nikea said, "is the entrance to the magical artifacts room. I have the keys with me. You will not be allowed to see the contents of this room until you have completed your job. If you do not complete this job to my satisfaction, I shall see to it that your name and reputation is smeared throughout the continent." 

"Don't worry," Gourry said cheerfully. "Lina's already done that herself." 

"Shut. It. _Gourry_!" Lina shot him a vicious glare, curling her hand into a fist. Boyfriend and partner or not, he was going to be turned into a jellyfish roast right then and there. 

"And, a lifetime ban will be levied against you and you will never gain access to any library sanctioned by the Sorcerer's Guild ever again." 

Lina had taken two steps toward Gourry to deliver her own version of justice to him, but Nikea's words stopped her cold. She spun around, gaped at the older woman. "You wouldn't!" 

Nikea stared down her nose at her. "Try me." 

"Isn't that a little harsh?" Amelia wondered. 

"This is a serious matter, Miss..." 

Amelia eyed Nikea, weighing her options. She did not like to pull rank in cases like this, but she doubt she would have to. Just giving her name would be enough. "Saillune. Amelia wil Tesla Saillune." 

As she expected, the color drained from Nikea's face. Her mouth gaped open, reminding Amelia of the fish that she did her best to avoid. Nikea gulped, then performed a hasty and sloppy curtsey. "Your highness. Princess Amelia. I never imagined..." 

"Do you realize that if should this mission fail and you order that Lina Inverse be banned from these libraries that I can override this ban? Saillune and Ralteague are allies, as you well know. With Lina-san having such close ties to the Saillune royal family, I am sure that my father would be most displeased should a ban like this be levied." 

_Go, Amelia!_ Lina stared at her friend, impressed. Amelia did carry herself well and, despite her short stature, could be quite intimidating. Lina was greatly enjoying seeing the pompous asshole of a librarian be brought to her knees. 

"I'm sure that arrangements can be made," Nikea stammered, fighting the urge to wipe the dripping sweat from her brow. "As you can see, I am worried about the safety of my artifacts." 

"Such loyality to your work is to be commended." Amelia gave her a small smile. "Besides, I do not feel there will be the need for any bans. I am sure that we will complete our task in a satisfactory manner." 

"You do?" 

"Of course!" Amelia winked and held up two fingers in a victory sign. "Justice is on our side! Justice always triumphs over evil!" 

_Ah, there's our Amelia_. Lina nearly rolled her eyes, then her attention was diverted by a man approaching the group. She quickly sized him up. Tall, dark-haired, probably somewhere in his late 30s. His face wore a sneer that marred otherwise reasonably attractive features. Her gaze swept over his robes, recognized the color. Leader of the Sorcerer's Guild, she decided. 

"What is this, Nikea?" The man said in a voice so loud that Lina was quite sure her family in Zefielia could hear him. "Who are these people?" 

"Our guards for the library." Nikea leveled the man with a stare so cold that Lina realized that the one she'd been given earlier was actually a display of the librarian's warm side. "You ordered that we hired them, Gridai-san. I have simply followed the request." 

"You invited a group of random travelers to guard over our treasures? You are even more incompetent than I thought!" Gridai swung to face Lina and her group. His eyes skimmed her. Lina knew the moment he recognized her, when his eyes widened slightly and the color drained from his face. "You're Lina Inverse!" 

"You're not as dumb as you look," Lina replied calmly. 

Gridai whirled back around, pinning Nikea with a hard look. "Are you insane? This girl is a walking catastrophe!" he yelled, jabbing his finger at Lina. 

Lina glanced at her group, and found them all suddenly taking a very keen interest in cloud-watching. "You know, you could back me up," she hissed. 

"Lying isn't just, Lina-san," Amelia apologized, her cheeks red. 

"Hmm?" Gourry looked down at Lina. "What did you say? I wasn't paying attention." 

Lina slapped a hand to her forehead. _Someone, please. Remind me exactly why I keep these people with me again?_ Furious now, she crossed over to Gridai in two steps, jabbing a finger in his face. "Look, you miserable asshole. I've already taken this job and I'm not backing out of it. You even attempt to change her mind and you will discover that the words 'enemy of all who lives' doesn't even begin to describe me. I want access to the artifacts and if you prevent me from doing this in a legal manner, then I shall simply deploy an alternative plan." She curled her lips into a sneer, baring her incisors slightly. "I'm sure that if you ask members of the local bandit camps, you'll find that my methods can be less than...painfree." 

She enjoyed the look of horror on Gridai's face just a little too much. After a moment, the horror was replaced by a smirk. "You are no match for me... _Lina the Pink_." 

Gridai never saw the spell coming. But he would always remember the heat and the power of the Burst Rondo  that sent him sailing through the air. He landed in a bushel of apples several yards away from the library, unconscious. 

Lina turned back to her stunned group. "We are going to go get rooms and get sleep before tonight. And the first person who asks me about Lina the Pink will have their heads stuffed up their ass and their mutilated bodies fed to the first golem I can find." 

No one said a word. 

\----- 

_Six hours later_  
 _Shrigan Library - Exterior_

"Now, in order to be a proper hero of justice, you have to have a proper introduction. There are two things essential to a proper introduction. One is that you have to be standing on something high. By towering over the evil-doers, you will intimidate them with your passion and conviction in upholding justice! Lyos-san, are you listening?" 

Lyos shoved his head between his knees. "Shizuri, go get that idiot swordsman and have him trade places with me. Either that or get him to cut off my head. Why the hell aren't we the ones inside the library?" 

"Sorry, boy-o, you're stuck." Shizuri leaned against the wall and shot an amused glance at Amelia, who stood on the roof of the library. "You're the one who asked...oh, how do I put this... 'what's with all the justice crap you keep spouting about, Amelia?' So, there no one to blame but yourself." 

Lyos shot Shizuri a murderous look and she returned it with a sickingly sweet smile. Resigned to his fate, Lyos sighed. "You know, if Lina and Gourry hadn't made up over dinner..." 

"Well, you know what they say. Being forced to share the last piece of cherry pie can bond some couples." 

" _That_ was sharing? More like a pair of dogs in heat." 

Shizuri choked. Lyos blinked at her, then the realization of what he said set in. His face promptly turned several interesting shades of red and was immensely grateful that Lina was not in earshot. Knowing his luck, the sorceress was probably standing right behind him, prepared to send him to his eminent doom. Though, he would savor death if it meant escaping Amelia's class on proper delivery of justice. 

But when the world didn't end, Lyos breathed a small sigh of relief. He let out an ear-splitting yawn and wished they had managed to grab more than a couple hours of sleep before having to start this patrol. Amelia had been the first to volunteer to remain outside of the library to watch for the thief. That had suited Lina just fine. She wanted to do research inside and Filia had wanted to do the same. Gourry had gone with them, partly because he always followed Lina everywhere and partly because he could watch for any activity inside of the library while she and Filia did their research. 

"Lyos-san! Are you listening? I need to tell you how to formulate a proper introduction!" 

Lyos rolled his eyes and glanced up at Amelia, turning his back to the street. He never noticed a dark figure slip down the road a few feet away and toward the back entrance to the library. 

"I wonder," Shizuri commented, feeling that since an enraged Lina hadn't emerged from the library at Lyos' last statement that she could talk freely, "why Lina got so mad when she was called Lina the Pink? What does that mean anyhow?" 

Amelia leaped down from her perch. "High-ranking members of the Sorcerer's Guild are usually given a color to indicate their status. They've either performed some sort of grand deed for the guild or they hold a high office in it. Remember Tarim the Violet, the man killed in Atlas City whose ring Lina-san found? He was one such person." 

"So, Lina has a high rank in the Sorcerer's Guild?" Shizuri tilted her head to one side. "It makes sense, considering how powerful she is." 

"Why pink?" 

Amelia shrugged at Lyos' question. "I don't think Lina-san has the patience to play the political game that comes with being a high-ranking member of the Sorcerer's Guild. So, I don't think she's any sort of high-ranking member of the guild. I don't know what the pink stands for." 

"And, if we value our lives, we won't ask her either," Shizuri added. 

Lyos sighed. "Which means, if he bothers to remember, that the idiot swordsman will probably blurt it out one day." 

"At least then, we'll know the answer," Shizuri replied. 

Amelia nodded sagely, knowing that Shizuri and Lyos were right. "Gourry-san will be giving up his life in a good and noble cause. Now, then. Back to giving a proper justice introduction!" 

\----- 

_Shrigan Library - Interior_

Filia set down the latest in the stack of books she was looking through and rubbed her eyes. She lifted her head and saw Lina throughly engrossed in the book that she held. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "You love to read, don't you?" 

"Whenever I can." Lina flipped a page and pushed up her reading glasses slightly. They were a necessary nuisance, especially when she dedicated hours to research. "I prefer magic books. History following that. Some political ones as well. Mythology. None of that copper novel crap. Gourry loves them." 

"Gourry-san?" Filia gave the swordsman, who was dozing by Lina's side, a shocked look. "Somehow, Gourry-san and books don't seem to mesh in my mind." 

Lina grinned at her. "I've only seen him read a few times myself. Usually if we're in a bookstore and he wanders off. I'll see him reading the copper novels. I don't think he realized I noticed." 

Filia chuckled and glanced down at her book. "It's quite amazing," she said, tracing her finger over the leather, "the events and the developments in magic that have taken place over the past 1,000 years within these lands." 

Lina pulled off her glasses and gave Filia a searching look. "What did they say in your lands regarding ours?" 

Filia worried her lip for a moment as she searched back through her history lessons. "As far as I know, I believe my knowledge of history is concurrent with yours up until the Kouma Sensou. After the war, there were several attempts by those displaced outside of the barrier to return. When that failed, the lands that practiced magic started to become a myth. Around 300 years ago, there was a huge contest among the countries in my part of the world to breech the barrier and be the first to colonize the lands there." 

"Is that contest still going on?" 

"Thankfully, no. The last attempt was about 120 years ago." 

Lina drummed her fingers on her book. "Your sect of the Golden Dragons. Were they one of the ones displaced by the Kouma Sensou?" 

Filia nodded. "Yes, that's correct. There was an expedition of about 20 Golden Dragons that were sent beyond where the barrier was in order to gain aid from other dragons. I always assumed it was other Golden Dragons. They were trapped outside of the barrier when it was erected. The decision was made to create the temple to Flarelord. Because there was five female dragons among the 20, the population was able to grow. But, it's always remained small." 

Lina pressed a fisted hand to her mouth, brow furrowed in concentration. "Do you know from where in our lands your ancestors came from?" 

"Some of them are still alive. The Elder isn't just the Elder for his wisdom. He's one of a few from that period who is still alive. He was the youngest of the dragons making the expedition." 

That still didn't say much. Lina was willing to wager that Milgasia, the Golden Dragon who assisted them during their search for the Claire Bible, was older than the Elder. Even so, something about Filia's words tugged at her. "But where did they come from?" 

Filia faltered for a moment. "I honestly don't know," she finally said after a minute. "I never thought to ask. I didn't realize that the lands up here were quite so big." 

Lina sprang from her seat, knocking her pile of books into Gourry in the process. He landed on the floor with a thump, about 10 books landing on top of him. Lina ignored him, instead sprinting by him and moving like an agile cat through the narrow stacks of books. She scanned the catalog system that was thankfully standardized among the libraries within the barrier. She saw what she was looking for on a top shelf and levitated to get it. 

When she emerged from the stacks, dust covered the top of her hair from where she brushed the ceiling to get the book. She threw herself back in her chair, ignored the sputtering Gourry still on the floor. Lina began paging through the book, pausing every so often to shove her reading glasses further up her nose as she skimmed the pages. 

Filia got out of her seat and helped get the books off of Gourry. When that task was done, they stared up at Lina as she tore through the book with the speed of a madman. "Does she often get this way?" Filia asked Gourry. 

He ran his hand through his hair and laughed a little. "Yeah. You get used to it." 

"I imagine so." 

Filia helped Gourry to his feet, then returned to her seat and began looking through her books once again. Now awake and bored, Gourry started scanning the stacks himself for something even remotely interesting to read. He recognized the light in Lina's eyes. They would probably be at this for several more hours. He wandered into the stacks, just out of sight of the girls but close enough to speak at a normal voice. "Say, Filia?" 

"Yes, Gourry-san?" 

"Why'd you come with us?" 

It wasn't a question that she expected from the swordsman. Filia looked up from her book, surprised. "Well, it's like I said after the battle. I want to see the prophecy for ourselves." Her gaze met Gourry's as he emerged from the stacks, a thin red book in his hands. "I know that what you saw at my temple didn't look good, but I was not raised to behave in the manner in which my Elder behaved toward you, Lina-san and the others. I was always told to do what was right. I also want to find out the truth behind the weapons and Valgaav." 

Gourry didn't say anything for a moment and Filia started to wonder if the explanation went over his head. He took his seat and kept silent. Filia shrugged and went back to her book. 

"Well, I think that the truth's somewhere in the middle." 

Filia lifted her head again. "What was was that?" 

Gourry leafed through his own book. "What that Elder was saying regarding the dragons and what Valgaav was saying. The truth's usually somewhere in the middle of it." 

Filia smiled. "Yes, I suppose you're right." 

Lina slammed her book shut and heaved a long, dramatic sigh. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. This book is the most comprehensive one out there when it comes to the history of dragons within the Mazoku barrier and there's nothing in here about the Ancient Dragons." 

When Filia and Gourry didn't say anything in response, Lina hunched forward slightly, resting her arms on her thighs. _I don't like the way this sounds. I know it's entirely possible for that one expedition to escape history, especially since it would had taken place around the time Xelloss did a number on the Golden Dragons. It's either that, or that little expedition wasn't common knowledge_. "I've a friend," she spoke up, "or actually, more of an acquaintance in the Kataart Mountains. I'm willing to bet that's where your ancestors came from, Filia. I think if we're going to find out if Valgaav's story is true, we're going to need to talk to him." 

"Do you believe it's true, Lina-san?" 

Lina thought back to the Elder's reaction when Valgaav had revealed his true identity and the words he used to describe the Ancient Dragons. "Yeah. If I'm going with my gut, I'm thinking Valgaav may have a strong case against your race. But, like Gourry said, the truth's somewhere in the middle." She flashed a grin at him. "You can be perceptive when you want to be, Jellyfish." 

Gourry wasn't listening. Instead, his focus was on the door leading to the hallway. He stood, drawing his sword at the same time. Both Lina and Filia jumped to their feet. Gourry held up a hand to them and crept to the door. 

"What is it?" Lina moved to his shoulder. "Is it Amelia?" 

"No. Hush." Gourry brushed Lina off and she glared at him. He stepped into the hallway, moving as graceful as a cat, battle senses at their peak. He spotted the dark figure heading for the room with the artifacts in it. It was too short to be Amelia or Lyos. He motioned to Lina and stepped aside so she could see the figure. 

"Lighting!" Lina shot the spell into the air, lighting the area to the point where it was nearly bright as day, revealing a small fox. Jillas cringed and threw up his hand to ward against the sudden brightness. When he lowered his hand, he gave a choked gasp when he saw Lina, Gourry and Filia surrounding him. 

"Li...Lina Inverse," he sputtered, then remembered what he was there to do. He dove into his pockets, emerged with a few of his cherry bombs. "I'm going to take you out!" 

"What is this thing?" Lina asked, gesturing to Jillas with a look of disgust. 

"How can you not know who I am?" Jillas sputtered. "You know who I am!" 

"I've never seen you before. Have you ever seen him before?" Lina glanced up at Gourry and was rewarded with a blank stare. She sighed. "Never mind." 

"You're one of Valgaav's men, aren't you?" 

Jillas beamed at Filia. "She knows who I am!" 

"Of course I do! Lina-san wasn't with us when you tried to take Sylphiel-san's sword!" Filia advanced on Jillas, mace in hand. "You're the thief who's been breaking into this place, aren't you?" 

Jillas snorted. "I don't know what you're talking about, lady! Tonight's the first time I've ever been here! I've been following the lot of you for a week on Valgaav's...oops." 

"Oh, really?" Lina cracked her knuckles and rewarded Jillas with her most evil grin. "You've been tailing us?" 

"Well...um...maybe half a day or so? More?" Jillas shrank away from Lina, his knees turning to water as the sorceress advanced on him. 

As Lina vented her frustration on Jillas, Gourry quickly whirled around, eyes widening when he saw that the door to the artifacts room was open. He tapped Lina's arm. She ignored him. He did it a second time, then a third. 

"Damn it, what is it, Gourry?" Lina yelled at him, then looked where he was pointing. "Oh shit!" She thrust Jillas at Filia and raced to the artifacts room. She burst in the door, Gourry at her heels only to discover that the prominent sword that was on display earlier in the evening was now gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who are familiar with the "Slayers Special" novels may recognize some of the characters and the rough outline of this chapter. This chapter, and the next, is an adaptation of a story called "Save the Books" from Slayers Special vol. 20. The Sorcerer's Guild of Shrigan City asked Lina to guard a library that had been broken into lately. Nikea, the librarian and Malirn, the vice-president of the guild, helped Lina keep an eye on the books and kept clashing with Gridai, the president of the Sorcerer's Guild. However, the library kept getting broken into repeatedly despite no one seeing what was going on. That was the summary I found of that story, but it was enough. This story differs in several aspects from the original Slayers Special one, but the adaptation of the shorter novel pieces was used frequently by the animators in crafting the Slayers radio dramas.


	15. Fusion Magic and the Fourth Weapon

"I can not believe the lot of you! You assured me that you would catch the thief! You come into this library, boasting of your abilities to capture the thief and instead, more of our artifacts were stolen!"

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Filia, Shizuri and Lyos stood shoulder to shoulder, flinching as Nikea yelled at them. As the librarian's voice grew louder, various shopkeepers paused in setting up displays for the day to take in the show.

Lina forced her body to remain upright, despite the fatigue that seeped through every limb. Righteous anger had kept her awake through most of the night - a good deal of it at Jillas and a healthy dose at Amelia as well. Since someone else had done the job of opening the door to the artifacts room for her, Lina figured that it wouldn't be so bad to go in, rummage through the remaining weapons and see if the Darkstar weapon happened to be there. Then they could get out of Shrigan City and dedicate time to looking for more weapons instead of cleaning up this mess that wasn't even their fault to begin with!

But, no. Little Miss Champion of Justice had immediately guessed what Lina wanted to do and had firmly planted herself in front of the broken-down door. In a stern voice that would had made her father proud, Amelia had spent the better part of an hour informing Lina why she wouldn't be entering that artifacts room and how it would only make things worse. Lina had also taken a considerable amount of time to yell back at Amelia.

After all, no one wanted to receive a justice speech at 1 a.m.

Amelia had taken over the negotiations, simply because Nikea refused to listen to anyone else but her. "I'm really very sorry, Nikea-san..."

"Sorry doesn't even begin to describe the mess that you have caused!"

Lyos didn't bother to hide his disgust. "Wasn't your library in this state before we even arrived here?"

"I hired the lot of you to rectify the situation!" Nikea's face had turned an interesting shade of purple and for a moment Lina wondered if the woman was going to keel over in front of them. She hoped not. Then Nikea would either be gravely ill or dead and they'd be blamed for that as well.

"It wasn't a total loss, Nikea-san," Lina pointed out, then jerked a thumb at Jillas. The fox was tied to a chair in the corner of the room, simpering at the rest of them as they discussed what had happened during the night. "We caught one thief. You didn't specify that there was more than one thief lurking around here."

"I keep telling you! I was tailing your group, not stealing stuff from this place the other nights!"

Amelia approached Jillas. "But, you were sneaking in, intending to search for and steal one of the weapons last night, Jillas-san, that's right?"

"Yeah," he spat at her. "But, not the other times. You can't pin those on me."

"Can you prove it?"

Something akin to a leer spread over Jillas' face at Filia's question and a chill ran up Lina's spine. She had a feeling that whatever his answer was, she wasn't going to like it at all.

"Yeah, I can prove it. I saw all you camping out night before last, on that really big bluff about half a day's walk from this city. I also saw her," Jillas jerked his head in Lina's direction, "making out with blondie over there for quite awhile as well."

Everyone fell silent, then turned to see Lina's reaction. Her head was bowed, hands curled into fists. Her entire body vibrated from rage.

"Lina..."

"Don't touch me, Gourry." Her voice was in a low, dangerous whisper that caused him to immediately back up, nearly plowing over Shizuri and Amelia in the process.

Before any of them could try to calm Lina down, she was across the room, hands wrapped around Jillas' neck. She screamed at him in language so harsh that even Lyos winced. "I didn't realize that her vocabulary was that colorful."

"Neither did we," Amelia and a pale-faced Gourry replied together.

Filia bit her lip. "Do you think it's a bad time to mention that we saw the two of you kissing as well, Gourry-san?"

"Not just kissing, the two of you were going at it pretty hot and heavy," Shizuri added with a smirk. She shot Gourry a knowing look. "We actually had a pretty sizable betting pool as to when and/or if you were going to start tearing each other's clothes off. Though, you were doing a good job getting under Lina's to begin with."

Gourry's face was redder than Lina's hair. "Umm...I thought we had gone far enough away from the camp."

"There's a nice view through the trees if you're looking just right."

"Oh." He didn't say anything for a moment. "Who won the bet?"

"The princess. She figured that you would come to your senses after 30 minutes. The rest of us had you only lasting 20 or less and well...adding to our little show."

"Oh." Gourry looked very much like a small child who'd been caught trying to sneak candy. He pressed his index fingers together and watched, fascinated, as he made a little V-shape with them. "I don't think it'd be a very good idea to tell Lina all of that."

Shizuri eyed the senseless violence being done to Jillas and nodded sagely. "Yes, I think that is a very good idea indeed."

\-----

_Five hours later_

_Shrigan City - Black Rose Inn and Tavern_

Zelgadiss slipped into the inn, a hand unconsciously touching the side of his hood to make sure that the covering was still in place. It was lunch and most people were either fixated on their meals or their companions, which suited him just fine.

He signaled to a girl dressed in brown cotton, who escorted him to a small table near the window. She set a tin cup before him full of a brownish sludge that he guessed was coffee. Shrigan City was not known for its culinary achievements, as Lina had once said when deciding where they should travel next. Zelgadiss picked up the mud, took a sip and winced. She'd been right.Â 

"Blech. This stuff tastes like cow shit," the boy at the table beside him suddenly exclaimed. Zelgadiss smiled slightly. It was an apt description. _Still, I've had worse. You were lucky to survive one of Rodimus' pots of coffee._

"And just how do you know what that tastes like," his companion commented. She had her back turned to Zelgadiss, but he could see the boy roll his eyes at her.

"One of Ma's cows kicked me once and I landed in a pile of it. Foul stuff."

"I'm sure Lina would love hearing that story."

Zelgadiss slowly lowered his cup. _Surely she doesn't mean..._

"Where is she anyhow?" The woman glanced around the room. "There's still food, which means neither she or Gourry have passed through the place."

Zelgadiss' cup hit the table with a loud clatter.Â 

"He was still passed out when I woke up." The boy poured what seemed to be a good amount of sugar in the coffee. "Guy sucks the paint off the walls. Why do I have to room with the blond buffoon again?"

"My dear Lyos. Need I remind you of the birds and the bees?"

"Then give me my own room!"

"Oh, that'll go over really well with Filia. Of course, we could always swap Lina out for you. I'm sure neither of them would object to that agreement, not after that Jillas fellow revealed their little show they'd given us in the woods the other night."

Zelgadiss wasn't quite sure how to process that particular piece of information. _Lina and Gourry... No. Not going there. My appetite's nearly ruined to begin with. I'm not sure if I want to say that it's about time or if I should be very very scared._

"Say, what're they going to do with him anyhow, Shizuri?" The serving girl set down a plate of food in front of Lyos and he dug into it enthusiastically.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Lina wants us to keep hold of him because he's a link back to Valgaav.Â We can badger the information about his location out of him and go get that weapon once we're done here.”

Zelgadiss ignored the plate of food that was placed before him. At the table next to him, Shizuri and Lyos also received their meals and quickly began to eat as much as possible. They didn't say much beyond that, but what they had said was enough to get the gears in his brain moving.

There had to be some sort of coincidence behind all of this. Xelloss was far from benevolent. He wanted Zelgadiss to perform a particular task for him and that was to get the weapon that matched the one he had. He was going to find that weapon, mainly to keep Xelloss from getting his hands on it. The weapon he had resembled the Sword of Light regarding how the weapon worked. It would make sense for Lina and Gourry to be looking for one as well if they had heard about it.

After leaving Xelloss, Zelgadiss had done his best to try to find out the exact nature of the weapon he had so he could find others like it. He knew that Shrigan City had an excellent library and that the librarian had dealt with him before. She would probably be able to tell him more about the staff if he happened to catch her in a good mood.

Zelgadiss considered the weapon he had concealed beneath his cloak. Gourry had lost his sword saving Lina from the Sea of Chaos. It would make sense to hand this weapon over to him, but this was more of a staff than a sword. He sighed and picked up his fork. It was probably all just a coincidence that they happened to be in the same city he was in. Zelgadiss speared some vegetables and frowned at them. No, this couldn't be a coincidence. If he had learned anything by traveling with Lina Inverse, it was that a coincidental situation was just a cover for something else.

——-

Lina was _not_ in a good mood.

She didn't like being yelled at. She didn't like being made to look like a fool in front of her friends. She most certainly didn't like being blamed for something that clearly wasn't her fault. This mess? Wasn't her fault, not at all. She had done the job she'd been charged to do, and that was capture whoever was sneaking into Shrigan's library. She had done just that. Nikea didn't need to blame her for her shoddy security. Apparently, one could make quite a career out of capturing people who wanted to steal the artifacts. Lina didn't really care. She wanted to see if one of the Darkstar weapons was in that room and get the hell out of town. End of discussion.

"At least we're getting a second chance, Lina-san," Filia commented as the group proceeded to devour about half of the food in Shrigan for an early dinner before they headed out for their second night of thief-hunting.

"That's because our princess knows how to sweet talk her way into stuff like this," Shizuri shot Amelia a grin.

Amelia snatched the last roll from the basket just as Gourry started for it. "It's the art of diplomacy. Nikea-san should give us another chance because we did catch someone sneaking in."

"And, if that fails, we're breaking in ourselves," Lina declared.

"No!" Amelia glared at Lina. "We're not going to do that, Lina-san! We're going to do this legally this time."

"We seem to get further when we do stuff illegally!"

"That's not an attitude that a heroine of justice should take!"

"Since when did I ever claim to be a heroine of justice?" Lina rolled her eyes at her. "Amelia, how many years have we known each other again?"

Amelia fell silent and Lina grinned for the first time in several hours. "Relax. Look, we'll try it this way for one more night. If that fails, we'll sneak in. Since we're guarding the library ourselves, we'll know the best way to do it. Besides, knowing that woman, she'll make good on her threat and we'll be banned from every library anyhow."

"I told you, I can override the ban, Lina-san!"

"I just think Lina wants to cause trouble," Lyos muttered into his plate of chicken. He was promptly rewarded by Lina pelting him with her roll.

\-----

_Five hours later_

_Shrigan Library - Interior_

"This was a good idea, princess," Shizuri commented as she emerged from the stacks, a thick volume in her hands. "Having Lina, Gourry and Filia be outside would keep any potential damage down to a bare miniumn if case she loses it. Again."

"I just thought you suggested it because Lina would try to break into the room herself," Lyos commented.

"Well, there's that too," Amelia conceded. "If the circumstances were different, I wouldn't had minded us sneaking into the library. It's certainly nothing new."

Shizuri frowned at the worry in Amelia's eyes. She threw herself down in a chair next to her. "What's on your mind, princess?"

Amelia didn't say anything for awhile. Shizuri and Lyos exchanged a look, then shrugged. Shizuri started to read through her book while Lyos kicked back in his chair and dozed off.

"I'm just worried," Amelia finally said and Shizuri looked up. "I don't want to get into trouble with Nikea-san, because I think she can help us with something else. It's a nagging feeling that I have regarding a friend of ours and if we keep on her good side, we can get her to help us find him."

"This Zelgadiss guy, huh?" Shizuri smiled when Amelia's cheeks pinked slightly. "You've got a crush on the guy."

"Well, Zelgadiss-san is very cool." Amelia straightened and grinned. "He's a very good friend and a loyal comrade who's gone through a lot of pain and suffering. It felt a bit weird at times, traveling in your country with Lina-san and Gourry-san and not have Zelgadiss-san be around."

"Lina and Gourry talk about him as well, but I don't really know who he is."

"Oh." Amelia's eyes lit up and she proceeded to tell Shizuri about Zelgadiss' past and how he was turned into a chimera by his grandfather.

Shizuri's jaw fell when Rezo's name entered the conversation. "I've heard of Rezo.Not much information was passed through the barrier when it was erected, but even we knew of the Five Great Sages. A piece of Shabranigdu was inside of Rezo and Lina defeated it?"

Amelia nodded. "This was not long before I met Lina-san, but I met her because of it. Rezo had created other chimeras and one of them set out to capture Lina-san, Gourry-san and Zelgadiss-san because of their roles in defeating the original Rezo."

Shizuri leaned back in her chair. "How very strange. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised by the stuff your group gets into now. I take it then that you four traveled together for awhile."

"For the better part of two years, yes." Amelia hesitated, knowing she had come up to the part of the story that involved the Claire Bible.

"So...is that when Lina defeated Hellmaster Phibrizzo?" She smiled at the shock that passed across Amelia's face. "I've been piecing stuff together. Little bits and pieces dropped by various people over the past few months. Lina's little nightmare-ish display outside of Sairaag was pretty revealing. She was yelling about the Hellmaster then. Valgaav said that she killed Demon Dragon King Gaav."

"He got that one wrong. Phibrizzo killed Gaav and Lina-san killed Phibrizzo. Or, she did in a way." Amelia jumped to her feet and started pacing. When she made her first circuit of the area, she saw that Lyos was now awake, listening to her story as well. She stopped and worried her lip. "I don't think this is my story to tell, but the two people involved don't remember a lot of it."

"Lina and Gourry?" Lyos guessed.

Amelia nodded. "Lina-san remembers more of it than Gourry-san, and this time it's not because of his brain. Have you ever heard of the Lord of Nightmares?"

\-----

_Shrigan Library - Exterior_

"I don't believe this." Lina fought the urge to bury her head in her hands. She was more inclined to give into her secondary urge and throttle Gourry and Filia, who were sitting around a table made from a makeshift rock near the entrance to the library. Filia had spread a tablecloth over it and produced a full tea service and a plate of cookies and a cake from somewhere in her robes. "We're on guard duty, not having a _tea party_."

Filia shot Lina a cryptic look over the rim of her delicate china cup. "In times of great stress, taking the time to relax with a cup of tea helps to keep your mind centered and your abilities focused."

"Plus, it's good too! Did you get a cookie, Lina?"

Lina snarled at Gourry, but snatched his cookie all the same. "Look, I'm thinking we just go get a look at the artifacts ourselves and get the hell out of here. This place is too messed up and who'd believe the old crone anyhow?"

"I have yet to be the recipient of one of Amelia-san's justice speeches and I will be _very_ upset with you if you cause me to have my first experience." Filia calmly took a sip of tea. "I just might have to pen some letters to Zefielia if that sort of thing happens."

The color drained from Lina's face and she quickly turned her back on them. "See if I care!" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

"That's pretty low," Gourry whispered to Filia.

"You should know when to take advantage of an opponent's weak spot, Gourry-san."

"I do know that. But, still..."

"I can hear you two, you know," Lina muttered through clenched teeth. She whirled around, jabbing a finger at Filia as she did so. "Go ahead! Tell my sister everything, you tattletale!"

"I am not a tattletale!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

_Oh, great._ Gourry winced as Lina and Filia proceeded to behave like five year olds, shouting childish insults and sticking their tongues out at each other. Oh, well. There was a bright side to this one. He helped himself to the rest of the cookies on the plate and tuned out the arguing women as he enjoyed the rich combination of chocolate and sugar. Lina and Filia were growing so loud that he almost missed a slight rustle in the bushes. Gourry straightened, narrowing his eyes at the leaves.

"Little Miss Pink Froo-Froo!"

"Oh, yes? Didn't I hear that one man yesterday call you Lina the Pink?"

"That's it! Mega..."

"Be quiet!" Gourry yelled, startling both Lina and Filia into silence. They stared incredulously at him, but he ignored them as he jumped to his feet and drew the Sword of Light.

Lina immediately sidled up to him, staring hard at the same place he was. She could see it as well, a slight movement in the bushes and something brown that glittered slightly in the moonlight. She motioned to Gourry to cover Filia, then crept forward as silently as possible. She lifted her hands, started to chant a spell under her breath, then stopped. No, she wanted to approach this one another way.

She stepped back to them. "How about some more tea, Filia?"

Filia gave her a confused look. "Tea?"

"Yeah! I'm sure there was at least half a pot left." Lina grabbed Filia's elbow and steered her back toward the makeshift table. "Play along," she hissed beneath her breath. "I want to see if he'll make a move."

"Is it the real thief?" Filia cast a quick glance over her shoulder and Lina quickly jabbed her arm to keep her focus away from the bushes.

"I'm willing to stake my reputation on it. Follow my lead." Lina dropped down in front of the table and reached for the teapot. "Say, Gourry, you've drank an awful lot of tea."

"I have?" Gourry stared blankly at Lina. She narrowed her eyes, growled slightly and he suddenly got what she wanted him to do. "Oh, I have! Yeah, I think I need to go find the bathroom."

"Don't take too long. Better use the one close to Nikea-san's office. That one's a whole hell of a lot cleaner than the one by the stacks and artifacts room." Lina dismissed Gourry with a wave of her hand. "I've got a handle on things here. I don't think anyone's gonna come tonight."

"Right." Gourry got to his feet and quickly retreated into the building. He found the bathroom, took his time washing his hands and slipped back out into the hall with his sword drawn. He kept to the shadows, moving as silently as possible through the halls back toward the artifacts room. He cautiously peered around the corner and saw a figure bent over the door, muttering something under his breath.

Gourry paused and studied the shadows on the other side the door as they lengthened. He waited, then saw a flash of red hair as Lina slid into position. She waited a moment and he figured that her eyes were getting used to the darkness. Then, she flicked a glance at him.

"Lighting!" Lina leaped out of the shadows, one hand extended toward the door. The figure immediately cowered when he was hit with the blinding light. Gourry sprang out of his corner and brought the flat of the sword down on the figure's back. The figure, a man, hit the ground and rolled to his back, only to meet the point of Gourry's sword. His eyes bulged and he gave a half-scream. The front of his pants darkened as he lost control of his bladder, its contents pooling onto the floor around Gourry's feet.

"Ew." Lina suspended the mage light in the air above them and got into the man's face. "Who'd thunk it? A lighting spell causes you to piss your pants? That'll be one to tell the boys at the Sorcerer's Guild, Gridai."

"I didn't....It's a mistake!" Gridai babbled, then began to sob. "Please, don't kill me!"

"Awww, shall we show him mercy, Gourry?"

"Only if he pays to have my boots cleaned." Gourry made a face at the mess he stood in. "You could had warned me, Lina."

"How did I know that Gridai would lose it like that? Ah, Amelia!" Lina waved to Amelia, Shizuri and Lyos as they ran out of the stacks. "We caught our man. The real one this time."

"And made a mess in the process. I do not envy you at the moment, Gourry-san," Shizuri wrinkled her nose.

"Come on," Gourry grabbed Gridai's arm and hauled him to his feet.

With the sword point now away from most vital parts on his body, Gridai bared his teeth at Lina. "Little bitch. How'd you know?"

"Nikea-san placed seals on the door. _Magical_ seals. Jillas is an idiot. He doesn't know how to use magic. Once I put two and two together, I realized that it had to be you. Come on, pal. Let's go wake up Nikea-san so I can get my reward and we can get out of this town." Lina grabbed Gridai's other arm and started to drag him toward the door.

——-

He had heard everything.

Once he had gotten to the library and found out about the restriction on the artifacts room, Zelgadiss quickly decided that it was worth hiding out and completing his research at night. Besides, if the artifacts room did contain the weapon, he could still sneak in and get it. His years of being an errand boy for Rezo had served him well.

He had taken a number of books and was perusing them when he heard the sound of voices as people came into the room. His eyes widened with shock when he saw the two people from earlier that day from the inn walk in with Amelia. That confirmed it. This wasn't just a coincidence. He gleamed more information through their conversation, blushing when it turned to him and Shizuri's guess of Amelia's feelings toward him. He would definitely have to correct Amelia's rather skewed opinion of him one day.

Then the story had turned to a recounting of the past few years and Zelgadiss quickly guessed that Shizuri and Lyos were from lands outside of the Mazoku barrier based on their reaction and some of the comments that he made. If this was the case, it would make sense why there had been no new stories of Dramata-induced disasters upon their part of the world for at least a year. During his last trip through Saillune, he'd been on his way to visit the royal palace when he heard that the kingdom had sent an ambassadorial expedition to the lands beyond the barrier and that Amelia was part of it. It had sounded like her - to take justice to unknown lands.

When the three had fled the stacks, Zelgadiss remained behind, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Lina, Gourry and Amelia had gone overseas and were now back, apparently searching for weapons. They were also hunting for someone named Valgaav that had ties to Gaav. If a Mazoku tied to Gaav was involved, that meant that Xelloss was most definitely part of this. Zelgadiss pulled out the weapon he had. He suspected for awhile that Xelloss hadn't told him everything and this felt like the missing piece of the puzzle. Xelloss didn't want them teaming up.

Zelgadiss grinned. _We'll just see about that._

He slipped into the hall and saw that Lina and the others had exited the building. It didn't give him much time. He headed for the artifacts room.

——-

_The next morning_

_Shrigan Library_

“I thank you for the hard work that you did to capture Gridai,” Nikea said as she led the group to the artifacts room. “All but one of the artifacts have been accounted for. He claims not to have taken it, but my guess is that he pawned it off to a seller already and does not want to own up to it.”

“Which artifact?” Lina wondered as they entered the room.

Nikea gestured to the wall opposite the entrance. Lina frowned. She could see the hooks on the wall where a weapon had rested. At first, she thought that it had been the large sword that had been stolen during the first night, but that had been restored to its original position. The empty space where the missing weapon had been was directly beneath the large sword.

As Nikea started showing them around the room, Lina stared hard at that wall, forcing herself to remember what it looked like. She hadn't paid much attention to it, because it seemed like a gnarled piece of wood that resembled a staff. _That weapon was there when we looked, but Jillas didn't have it. He never even got in the room. Gridai took the big sword and that and the other things he stole was recovered. I remember seeing that wooden weapon when we found out he stole the sword. Gridai never got into the room last night, the seals weren't disturbed. That means…_

Lina swung around and, swearing to herself. She placed a hand to her forehead and concentrated hard on that staff-like weapon. It seemed almost like a piece of driftwood, but the harder she thought about it, that staff kind of resembled…

“Lina-san?”

Lina jumped, nearly knocking over a display of china plates. She bared her teeth at Filia. “What?”

“You look troubled. Is everything all right?”

“Fine. Just dandy.” _As dandy as things are going to get when you've just realized that there had possibly been a Darkstar weapon in this room and it just waltzed out of here by some unknown thief._ Lina stomped over to the rest of the group, who were gathered around a display. She pushed between Gourry and Amelia so she could see what they were looking at.

“These are the pride and joy of the library and were just received from the kingdoms of Alto and Baritone,” Nikea was saying. She tapped the case. Inside the glass lay two halves of an urn - one black and one white. Lina could see where they fitted together. The surfaces were covered in rune writing.

Filia peered over Lina's shoulder and frowned. “I've seen this writing before,” she whispered to Lina.

“Rune language,” Lina confirmed, recognizing it as well.

“There is a saying about these urns that when they are brought together, they can produce a phenomena known as fusion magic.”

Amelia's eyes lit up. “I've heard of fusion magic. It was mentioned in a book I read when working as a shrine maiden in Saillune's temples. It's where you can channel white and black magic together into a conductor and it produces a magical attack that is extremely powerful. They say that when Holy magic and Chaotic magic is used, the resulting attack is probably even more power than the Giga…,” Her words cut off as Lina grounded her foot on top of Amelia's.

Nikea never noticed. “That is correct, Amelia-sama,” she said, pleased to find someone that educated in magical arts. “It has been documented in books, but no devices of this nature have been produced since before the Kouma Sensou.”

_That's because humans probably didn't produce these things._ Lina cupped her chin in her hand. _If Filia's reaction and my interpretation of these runes are correct, then the dragon races produced these. Why combine white and black magic together when the resulting power would only be around the level of a Dragon Slave? Does it purify and destroy at the same time, but on a higher level than a standard purity spell? It's something worth investigating._ Lina sighed. It would be worth investigating after they were done looking for the Darkstar weapons and defeating Valgaav. She'd put it on her to-do list. Maybe she'd get to it within the next five years.

——-

“Well, what now?” Shizuri asked as they headed down the road away from Shrigan City. “That was a complete bust. Nice little tidbit of information regarding fusion magic, I think Zasu-sama will be intrigued by it. But, no weapon.”

“At least we've got some money for our trouble,” Filia said, relieved that they had some supplement to their rapidly depleting budget.

“You've been quiet, Lina-san,” Amelia observed, falling in step next to her. “Is everything okay?”

Lina didn't say anything for a moment. She had a very strong gut feeling that the missing weapon was the one that they were looking for and she was mentally kicking herself for not noticing it to begin with. In her mind, they were looking for something that appeared to be like the Sword of Light. That staff looked more like the weapon Xelloss used that wound up in Valgaav's hands. There was not much they could do at the moment. If it was the weapon, whoever got it would come looking for them. It could had been the person who broke Jillas out of jail.

That was the other thing that really put Lina in a bad mood. They had turned Jillas over to Shrigan authorities to hold alongside Gridai. After they had finished their tour of the artifacts room and Nikea was in the process of paying them, they had heard an explosion come from the center of town. By the time they got there, they discovered Gridai tied up in bedsheet, a hole in the back wall of the jail and Jillas gone.

Amelia didn't say anything for awhile, instead watched Lina stew in her own anger. She started to say something, then hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned. _It feels like we're being watched._

Lina slowed. On her other side, she saw Gourry rest his hand on his sword hilt out of the corner of her eye. She tensed, noticed that Amelia had also detected something. The women exchanged a nod and together they pivoted, hands raised to cast simultaneous fireballs, then froze, mouthes gaping.

Zelgadiss stood on the road behind them, giving them a cryptic smile. In each hand, he held a staff-like weapon. “Hello, Lina.”

Lina let her hands fall, then placed them on her hips. “Well, I'll be damned.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the party, Zelgadiss! He kept wanting to join the action earlier and earlier and the initial draft of this chapter had Amelia catching Zel in the act of taking the fourth weapon. I think this version is a bit more in character and by adding him in at this point, I'm able to take the story in a different direction in several ways. For those trying to figure out where we are in the TRY storyline, this is the rewrite of what happened with the Alto and Baritone storyline but now we have four weapons accounted for instead of two. Within the next two-three chapters, we'll be setting up for a round of "hide and go seek" with the weapons.


	16. People Change, but Xoana Stays The Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I do not own in this chapter - World of Warcraft. Let's see if my fellow WoW addicts out there can spot the homage in this chapter. I also do not own Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" and Kosuke Fujishima's "Ah! Megami-sama!" where I took the names for Katarina. Katarina is the shrew heroine of "Taming of the Shrew" and Marla is one of the main, bungling demons who hates the goddesses in AMG. Marla physically resembles Martina and her half-baked schemes are also similar.

_We have a very large group_ , Lina thought as she stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking into the inn's dining room. They was now so many people in their group that the harried waitstaff had shoved two smaller tables together and there was still barely enough room for all of them. Gourry and Lyos were doing an excellent job at consuming almost all the food being brought to their table, which would do until she got there. Zelgadiss, Amelia and Shizuri were at the opposite end of the table, holding a quiet discussion. Every so often, Amelia would dart in and grab a platter of sausages or a stack of pancakes that was being ignored at the moment. Filia sat in the middle of the carnage, looking like she was going to faint.

Even though her stomach growled and the competitive side of her nature wanted to out eat both Gourry and Lyos, Lina folded her arms over her chest and contemplated the group. Seven people, counting herself and three of the Darkstar weapons in their possession. They were doing much better than they had been twenty four hours earlier. Zelgadiss had told Lina that her hunch had been right, that the missing weapon had been the Darkstar one. The two he had resembled Razud Mezegis more than the Sword of Light, and Lina realized that originally that Gourry's sword had been in another form when it was known as Gorun Nova.

Zelgadiss had also confirmed her hunch that Xelloss was after the weapons, which made finding the last one all that more important. Lina bit her lip and frowned. _And, I'm willing to bet that if he doesn't know that we're all together, he will very soon. Anyone could ambush us and get our weapons and it would really put us at a disadvantage. If my guess is right, the fifth weapon should be up here somewhere as well. It's a good place to start looking for it._

A plan forming in her mind, Lina approached the table. “Thank you,” she said, relieving Gourry of the full breakfast plate that the waiter had just placed in front of him. “Two more breakfast platters!”

“My breakfast!” Gourry protested.

“My budget,” Filia moaned.

Lina waved her hand at Filia and kicked Gourry's shin to keep him from getting at her meal. “You've already devoured three of these, so this is mine. And don't worry, Filia. I've got a plan to preserve your budget.”

——-

_Four Days Later  
Saillune/Xoana border_

“It was a good idea,” Zelgadiss conceded as he, Amelia and Lyos walked along the road heading toward Saillune City. “With Xelloss after the weapons, it makes sense for us all to split up with the weapons. We'll cover more ground this way.”

“I'm looking forward to seeing Daddy again,” Amelia added. “He might be able to give us some insight into the Saillune archives in case the fifth weapon is in the kingdom.”

Lyos picked at his ear. “How many temples and libraries does Saillune have?”

Amelia beamed. “Saillune is a peaceful and learned kingdom. The literacy rate is at 95 percent. We pride ourselves on having the best education system within barrier lands and we are known for turning out the best white magic users in…”

“That doesn't answer my question,” Lyos cut in.

“At least twice as many as Kunan just in the capital city.”

Lyos let out a low whistle. “Dang.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. About half a mile ahead of them, Amelia could see the colorful banners indicating the Saillune border. Her heart lurched as she realized that for the first time in more than a year, she was going home. She couldn't keep the smile off her face, nor could she stop herself from humming a happy tune beneath her breath.

Lina's idea had been a good one. She suggested that they split up into three groups to find the final weapon. It would distract anyone trying to get the weapons, she explained, and if someone happened to get one weapon, they wouldn't be able to find the other two easily. One weapon had been in Atlas City and another in Sairaag. The third was found in the Desert of Destruction and the fourth in the Kingdom of Ralteague. They had all been found in places where a lot of historical artifacts were collected or where historic events occured.

They narrowed down the three most likely places of finding the fifth weapon to Saillune, Zefielia and the Kaatart Mountains. Amelia immediately volunteered to go to Saillune and, to her surprise and pleasure, Zelgadiss offered to go with her. The bigger surprise had been Lyos wanting to go to Saillune, but when questioned on it, he immediately clammed up and said it was none of their business. Amelia immediately suspected that he wanted to see Sylphiel and quickly said it would be good for Lyos to see Saillune.

Shizuri and Filia were going to the Kataart Mountains. It would be easy for Filia to get there and Milgasia might be more willing to talk to Filia as a fellow golden dragon and one who served the gods, Lina explained. Shizuri was also a natural to go there since she served Aqualord. Lina and Gourry were going to Zefielia, where Lina said she would investigate a couple of temples she hadn't visited before she left the kingdom. When Amelia asked if Lina was going to see her family, she didn't say anything for a long moment, then shrugged and said that she supposed so.

It was strange, Amelia thought. She knew that Lina thought about her family pretty often. During all of their previous travels, she would often find Lina penning part of a letter to send back to Zefielia detailing their latest adventures. She had pulled Amelia aside shortly before their showdown with Phibrizzo and had handed her a thick letter and a piece of parchment detailing how to find her family in case something happened to her while rescuing Gourry. _Come to think of it, I still have that,_ Amelia realized. Her reluctance to go home was definitely at odds with her tendency to keep in touch with her family.

_Speakings of home…_ Amelia beamed with joy as they joined the line of people waiting to pass through the border. She bounced on her toes and grinned with a giddy joy. When the line hadn't moved after five minutes, the grin changed to a worried frown. It usually didn't take very long to pass through the border at all. She exchanged a look with Zelgadiss and he looked over the crowd of people.

“There's a carriage ahead with the Xoana seal,” he told Amelia. “It's holding up the line.”

“Let's see if there's anything we can do to help,” Amelia replied and stepped out of line. She strode toward the carriage quickly with Zelgadiss and Lyos behind her.

“I don't care how many people are waiting in line or what sort of record you have to keep,” a shrill voice that sounded very similar to Martina's came from the carriage as they grew closer. “I was told that I would have an honor guard escorting me into the city and I demand the right that is due my rank immediately!”

“I'm sorry, miss!” A young guard, sweat running down his face and soaking into the collar of his uniform, stammered as he bowed repeatedly. “We've had no word from Saillune City regarding this and the capital is still a day's ride away…”

“You mean to tell me that this kingdom doesn't have the ability to send a messenger out via horseback, nor does it have enough guards to form an honor procession? It's not like Saillune goes to war to begin with! What do your soldiers do all day, play poker in a back room?”

“Miss, if you'll pull your carriage to the side so we can let the others pass through the border, I'm sure that we could…”

“Not acceptable!” The high-pitched scream caused Amelia, Zelgadiss and Lyos to wince. “I demand to speak with someone in a position of authority now!”

Amelia and Zelgadiss exchanged another look. Lyos grunted. “Suppose you're that person, princess.”

The guard's head snapped around, a look of vast relief crossing his face as he recognized the woman dressed in pink and white standing near them. He quickly dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “Amelia-sama! Ceiphied's blessings upon you. Welcome home.”

“Who the hell is that?” Amelia winced at the coarse language as the woman in the carriage stuck her head out the window. At first, she thought the woman was Martina, but with orange hair instead of yellow. Her facial features clearly indicated that she was a member of the Xoana royal family. Amelia racked her brain, trying to remember if her father had mentioned anything about a royal visit. The last letter she'd gotten from him had been in Atlas City and even that had been written months before then.

The woman glowered at Amelia as she stepped up to the carriage. First thing first, she had to take care of her own guards. She smiled gently at the young guard. “What is your name?”

“Gr…Gregory,” he stammered.

“You've done well, Gregory-san,” Amelia praised him and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You are to be commended for doing your best to keep the border traffic moving. I will speak with your commander about this. There's many people waiting now. Have your relief guard fetch buckets of fresh water and some of the bread and cheese that you have in the guard tower. Cut it into chunks and offer it to people in apology for their having to wait. Invite them to rest in the shade a little bit. I'll make sure that your supplies are fully restocked by the end of the day. I'll take over this situation from here.”

“Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am.” Shaking slightly, Gregory rose and quickly moved to comply.

Amelia turned to the carriage and gave the cross woman a warm smile. “I apologize for the delay. Welcome to Saillune. What can I assist you with?”

The woman wrinkled her nose. “What are you, some little girl playing dress-up? I said I wanted to speak with someone in charge, not a child!”

Amelia stiffened her spine and curled her fingers. She nearly fired off a nasty retort, but held her tongue. Instead, she reached in her cloak and pulled out her seal. “I am Princess Amelia wil Tesla Saillune, second daughter of Prince Philionel el de Saillune, second granddaughter of King Elderon Saillune and third in line to the Saillune throne. If I am not in a high enough position of authority for you, I'm afraid that there isn't anyone much higher that you can go to, ma'am.”

Zelgadiss arched an eyebrow as Amelia stared down the shrew from Xoana. He could count on one hand the number of time that Amelia had pulled rank during one of their travels. Even then, she had not recited all of her official titles, nor had referred to her status as a princess. He saw the highly impressed look on Lyos' face and realized that she probably hadn't done that when she'd been in Titou either.

The woman didn't say anything for a long moment, then finally lifted her nose regally. “One would think that a princess of Saillune would be dressed more appropriately than in stained linen traveling clothes.” When Amelia didn't reply, the woman nodded sharply. “I am Katarina Marla Mel Navratilova, cousin of Queen Martina Xoana Mel Navratilova. I have been assigned to be ambassador from Xoana to Saillune.”

Amelia lowered the seal and inclined her head. “Welcome to Saillune, Katarina-san. I have been away serving as ambassador to the lands beyond the Mazoku barrier nearly 18 months. We are very glad to have a representative of your kingdom in ours once again. I shall escort you to Saillune City personally.”

“Very well.” Satisfied, Katarina motioned for one of her guards to open the carriage doors. “I appreciate your company, Amelia-sama.”

Relieved, Amelia flashed a smile at Zelgadiss and Lyos. “Let's join Katarina-san.”

For the first time, Katarina noticed Amelia's party. Her eyes went wide as she took in Zelgadiss' features and she shrank back slightly into the carriage's cushions. “You're not…you're not letting that _freak_ accompany you!”

“Zelgadiss-san is my friend, Katarina-san,” Amelia replied icily. “Either he accompanies me or we go on alone. I will be happy to send a guard escort you once I reach Saillune City, but you would probably have to wait a week since we still have to walk to the city and there are the official channels I must go through in order to send a guard for you.”

Katarina gaped at her, then snapped her mouth shut. She turned her eyes to the ceiling. “Very well. Your party can accompany the driver.”

“No, I think they'll be more comfortable inside the carriage,” Amelia said cheerfully and quickly motioned to them. Lyos hopped into the carriage without a second thought. Zelgadiss gave Amelia a quizzical look and she cheerfully nudged him toward the door. “I'm sure that Katarina-san won't mind once she gets to know you, Zelgadiss-san. Besides, if I remember correctly, Martina-san was quite taken with you.”

Katarina sniffed. “My cousin has deplorable tastes in men.”

Zelgadiss and Amelia shared a grin. That was something they agreed with completely.

——-

_One day lat_ _  
Saillune City, Royal Palace_

Their arrival in Saillune City had been filled with tears, hugs and lots of rapid talking as Amelia and her father kept trying to fill each other in on everything that had happened in the 18 months that Amelia had been away from home. Phil had also taken the time to welcome Katarina on behalf of the kingdom. Before they had retired for the night, Phil asked Amelia to dress in her court clothes and meet him in his office the next morning. Amelia immediately agreed, gave her father a hug and a kiss and went off to find Zelgadiss.

Amelia knocked on his suite door. When he didn't answer it, she opened it slightly and saw him standing on the balcony outside. She carefully closed the door behind her and crossed the room.

He didn't say anything when she joined him on the balcony. She didn't say anything either. They stared at the vast palace gardens and the stars, each lost in their own thoughts.

“I'm sorry about that,” Amelia spoke up. She gave Zelgadiss a small smile. “Katarina-san was very rude to you.”

“I'm used to it, Amelia.” Zelgadiss gave her a cryptic look. “It's been a number of years since Rezo turned me into a chimera. I've grown quite used to the reaction that it produces.”

_You shouldn't have to grow used to it._ Amelia blinked back tears and gripped the stone railing tightly. “Even so, it's not right.”

“We've been over this before, Amelia.”

“I know, I know.” Frustrated, Amelia leaned against the railing.

Zelgadiss gave her a small smile. “You handled that situation very well. I think that's the first time I've ever seen you handle a diplomatic situation that hasn't resulted in Lina blowing the place up or you getting captured in the name of justice.”

“It wasn't a big deal,” Amelia immediately replied, then realized that he was right. Most of her efforts to be diplomatic on behalf of her kingdom tended to be plagued with the Lina Inverse effect - in other words, something usually got destroyed in the process. “Then again…”

Zelgadiss chuckled. “I got your letter telling me about how Lina and Gourry burst in on your visit to Kunan.”

“There was only one ship not destroyed from Hureika's attack,” Amelia explained. “That's the one that the courtiers took to go back and get a new fleet. I'm glad that you got it. Did you get any others?”

He shook his head. “I don't pass through here very often.”

She was disappointed, but at the same time it was to be expected. She had gotten precious few letters from home as she was traveling around and she had more resources available to get those letters than Zelgadiss did.

They didn't say anything for awhile and Amelia wondered for the moment what the other half of their usual quartet was up to. _Probably devouring half of the food in Zefielia_ , she thought and chuckled.

Zelgadiss glanced down at her with a raised eye and she grinned back at him. “I was thinking of what Lina-san and Gourry-san were doing. I hope that they're having luck finding the weapons. I'm almost halfway tempted to contact Lina-san using the Vision spell to see if they got there safely, but I don't want to interrupt them doing anything.”

“Doing _anything_?” He asked with a slight grin.

“Not like that!” Amelia said hastily, but with a slight tinge of disappointment. “I mean dinner. You know how cranky Lina-san gets if something stands in-between her and food.”

Zelgadiss leaned against the railing. “It's about time that they did do something. Those two never change.”

“But, they really have.”

“Yes, in some ways. People grow and change, but in their hearts they still pretty much act the same way throughout their lives.”

“I do think that Lina-san has grown up since we fought Phibrizzo,” Amelia defended her. “I think that having Airlord's power is also a huge responsibility and I don't think she's abusing it for once.”

Zelgadiss thought over all that Amelia had told him during their trip back to Saillune. She'd recounted everything she'd told him in her letters, from the initial diplomatic mission to the fight against Deep Sea Dolphin's general to their return, retrieval of the Sword of Light and the fight at the Flarelord temple in the southern lands.

He considered Amelia. She seemed different to him as well. Although she didn't show it very much, he could tell that she was carrying more burdens on her shoulders. She walked with a new confidence and seemed to be more of the young princess than a girl playing heroine of justice. Granted, he rolled his eyes when they came across a bandit group and she insisted on dispatching them, but she still seemed more world-weary than the last time he'd seen her. He remembered what she had said about him to Shizuri and Lyos in the Shrigan library.

He turned, his back to the gardens. “You've grown up as well,” he admitted, blushing slightly and was a bit pleased to see the same response from her. “I'm not tired yet. Mind if we do some research?”

“Not at all!” Amelia said cheerfully and grabbed Zelgadiss' arm. She pulled him away, guiding him toward her father's library.

——-

_The next morning  
Saillune City, Royal Palace_

“I know it's a lot to ask, especially since you won't be home for very long.” Prince Phil linked his fingers together and gave Amelia a firm, but sorrowful look. “This is the fifth ambassador from Xoana in as many months. We have done our best to extend our hospitality to our ambassadors, just as we do from any other country, but it is rather…difficult.”

_That's because you're talking about people related to Martina,_ Zelgadiss thought a bit darkly from his position in the chair next to Amelia. Phil had invited Zelgadiss and Lyos to accompany Amelia, but Lyos had pulled Amelia aside after breakfast. He had whispered something to her that caused her eyes to light up. Minutes later, Lyos disappear and the only thing Amelia would say about it was that he was running an errand.

“I would like for you and Zelgadiss-san to accompany the new ambassador to lunch, where she will present you with something. Katarina-san has brought up a gift that we have been trying to obtain for the past few years, an artifact once belonging to Saillune.” Phil picked up a book lying on the corner of his desk and turned it to a marked page. “It was originally discovered on the Saillune and Xoana border not long before the Kouma Sensou. There has always been some dispute as to who rightfully owned the artifact and it's said to have some magical properties to it.”

Phil turned the book toward them and Amelia and Zelgadiss leaned forward to look at the picture.

Amelia blinked in surprise. “It looks like one of the weapons you brought with you, Zelgadiss-san.”

“It does look like it could be the twin of the one I found in the Desert of Destruction,” he agreed. “It could be the fifth weapon.”

“Once you showed me the weapon in your possession, it made me think of the Staff of Xoana,” Phil said.

Zelgadiss frowned. “If it's anything like the Book of Xoana, it's absolutely useless. It would probably summon a 1,000-year-old demon or something like that.”

———

It turned out to be something like that.

Zelgadiss and Amelia stared horrified at the demon that appeared to be only slightly smaller than the ancient golem they had destroyed in Xoana a couple years earlier as it ravaged the countryside where they had fought Seigram and Mazenda not long after that.

“Why does your kingdom keep such things around?” Amelia yelped as the beast took out about 20 trees with a swish of its tail. It looked like an oversized anteater with a long tail that curled around its body and tube-shaped ears extending from its multi-colored fur. “Oh, where's Lina-san and her Dragon Slave when you actually need her?”

“Causing chaos and destruction in Zefielia most likely,” Zelgadiss replied in a resigned voice.

Katarina folded her arms across her chest and beamed at the beast. It had taken four hours, a picnic lunch that seemed to be more like a state banquet and a lot of coaxing on Amelia's part for Katarina to present the weapon to them. Much to their disappointment, it turned out not to look much like the Darkstar weapons at all. Zelgadiss, however, had made the mistake of noting there was a magical core.

“Of course there is a magical core,” Katarina replied haughtily. “I shall show you.”

She had stepped away from the remains of the lunch and held the staff in the air. “I summon you to my side, the legendary beast of Xoana!”

_Beast?_ Amelia thought frantically as she and Zelgadiss leaped to their feet and gawked at the huge being that suddenly arrived.

Katarina stood with her hands on her hips, laughing in such a loud, shrill manner that both of them were wincing from it.

“Let's kill that thing before it attacks the city!” Zelgadiss said and immediately took to the air.

“You can't kill it!” Katarina screeched. “It's an act of war if you touch that beast!”

Amelia ignored Katarina, already following Zelgadiss. They hovered above the creature and quickly laid out their options. “Do you think we can hit it from the astral side?” Amelia wondered.

“It's not a Mazoku. A direct attack will work best.”

“I'll take the rear.”

They launched dual fireballs at the beast, but it swatted the fire away with its tail. Zelgadiss swore and ducked out of the way, barely eluding the backlash. He climbed higher and wished that Gourry was there. _I could power my sword with Astral Vine, but I'm not even so sure that would work. Gourry could cleave through it with the Sword of Light, but…wait a minute._ He took off toward Amelia.

She was doing her best to slow it with a series of Freeze Arrows, but the ice shatter as it hit the beast's thick skin. Amelia pressed her fist to her mouth and tried to consider her options, but they were running out of them. There was Sylphiel and Lyos, but they were both in the city. _Banisher could probably pierce through the skin and take it down, but I'm not sure that there's enough time to get him._

“Amelia!”

She quickly eluded a swish of the beast's tail and flew up to meet Zelgadiss. “I'm not sure what we can do at this point. Maybe we can try a Ra Tilt, but I'm not sure how well it'd work.”

“Do you still have the weapon?” Zelgadiss asked.

“I do, yes.” Amelia reached in the magically enlarged pocket of her cloak and took it out. “What are you going to do, Zelgadiss-san?”

Zelgadiss took the weapon and activated it. “You channeled the Sword of Light with a Ra Tilt during the fight with Copy Rezo.”

Pleased that he remembered, Amelia nodded. “You want to do it again with this weapon.”

Zelgadiss watched as the beast took another swipe at the trees. Near the ruins of their picnic, Katarina was still screeching something at them and he was not looking forward to having to deal with the Martina clone quite at the moment. They had enough time to try one, maybe two attacks before the beast reached the outer walls of Saillune City. He could see the guards scrambling to the walls and the rush of people trying to get away from them.

“Let's do it,” Zelgadiss held up the weapon.

“ _Ra Tilt!”_ Amelia yelled, channeling the spell into the weapon. She grimaced and fought hard not to lose control over the spell as she merged it with the light source. _The Sword of Light was much easier than this and I was a lot younger. This weapon must be more powerful than the Sword of Light, but how?_

“Now!” Zelgadiss shouted as the spell fully merged with the weapon and he plummeted toward the beast. Amelia stayed where she was, tossing fireballs at the beast to try and weaken it enough to where Zelgadiss could piece it with the sword.

He hit the back of the beast, the blade stabbing through skin. Zelgadiss grimaced as blood squirted from the wound and hit his face, but he grounded down as hard as he could. He felt the moment that the blade fell apart and quickly launched himself back into the air.

——-

_Three hours earlier  
City of Saillune, Gray Mansion_

_You're the Knight of Aqualord. You've faced down powerful Mazoku. You're doing the right thing._ Lyos stared up at the mansion, the sunlight gleaming off the brown-tile roof. He stared at the wolf's head knocker as if it was his worst enemy. His hand trembled around the wrapped object he carried in his right hand and he ordered himself to calm down. He wasn't facing an enemy. He was just going to talk to Sylphiel. She was far from an enemy. He lifted his hand to knock.

The door swung open, revealing Sylphiel. She was dressed in flowing robes with a cloak tossed over her shoulders. A wide basket was nestled in the crook of her arm. She wasn't looking outside, but over her shoulder. “I'll be back in a few hours, Grandfather,” she said, turned and her eyes went wide. “Lyos-san!”

“Sylphiel-san,” Lyos automatically replied and felt his heart stutter a moment.

Shock passed over her face, quickly replaced by pleasure, then concern. “Lina-san! Gourry-sama! Did something happen to them?”

“Huh?” Lyos blinked, then shook himself out of his trance. “Oh, them? Probably eating three pigs or something.”

“Thank goodness,” Sylphiel placed a hand on her chest and beamed at Lyos. “Your quest with Filia-san brought you to Saillune then?”

“More or less.” Lyos bit his lip. He started to bring up his arm. He'd give the blade to Sylphiel and go. He'd go back to the palace, get moving on finding that fifth weapon. He didn't like what this was doing to him, standing on the doorstep of Sylphiel's home with her smiling at him. Sylphiel had thrown him off balance when they were with each other briefly in Sairaag, but this was… He swallowed. This was just the way he felt around his lady.

“I'm going to pick up some groceries for dinner. Would you care to walk with me, Lyos-san? I want to hear what everyone is doing.” Sylphiel pulled the door shut behind her and walked down the steps. He automatically followed.

Sylphiel kept up a light banter as they moved toward the market square. She pointed out various monuments and explained their history. It didn't really interest him all that much, but Lyos found himself listening simply because it kept her talking. She was smart and elegant, all of the things that his lady had been. But, he could tell little differences as she went around the business of gathering fruit, cheese and other staples. Sylphiel was regal, but didn't seem to act as she was above everyone else like his lady did at times. Her smile was warmer and she seemed to take geninue pleasure over doing chores even he considered mudane.

After a couple of hours, they stopped in a small park and ate lunch. Lyos found himself starting to talk more and was surprised at how easy it was to talk around her. Even toward the end, he never was quite comfortable talking freely with her. Sylphiel made it easy to talk with her and eventually he had her laughing as he recounted how they captured the thief in the Shrigan library.

“It's a good decision that Lina-san made,” Sylphiel said. “I had no idea that your quest was going to be so complicated.”

Lyos snorted. “Neither did we. Soon as we find that fifth weapon, we'll get the one Valgaav has back and take care of this once and for all.”

“Yes…” Sylphiel's voice trailed off and she stared at the partlally-eaten piece of bread she held in her hands.

Lyos tilted his head to one side and scratched at his chin, fighting back the annoyance that suddenly welled up in him. “Ah…they're doing fine. Probably eating half the country. They're the same as always.”

Sylphiel relaxed and traced a finger across her bread. “I… Thank you, Lyos-san.” She laughed a little bit. “I just… I get concerned.”

“It's hard to get over stuff like that,” Lyos shrugged and Sylphiel looked up in surprise. “You like someone, they don't like you back. Or they go away. Sometimes they come back and they like someone else. Sometimes, they don't come back at all.”

Sylphiel stared hard at Lyos. For the past few months, she'd been coming to terms with it in her mind, that Lina and Gourry were together and were going to remain that way. She hated herself at times, how she would feel happy for them in one breath and resentful in the next. She never talked about it, wasn't sure that anyone could understand what she was feeling. She didn't know much about Lyos at all, just that he was the Knight of Aqualord and had accompanied Lina back to the barrier lands. From what she'd seen, he was a good swordsman and had protected them during the attack at the Sairaag ruins.

His eyes met his and she could see that he truly understood how she felt. “I feel ashamed,” she blurted out, clenching the bread so tightly that it formed a ball in her hands. “I feel ashamed that I still have feelings for Gourry-sama even though he loves someone else.”

Lyos didn't say anything for a long moment. He closed his eyes, then tilted his face toward the sunlight. “I still have feelings for _her_. Soi Len.” It was the first time since he had told Lina about his past that he mentioned her name. “She's gone and hell, I spent a good bit of time last year confusing Lina for her.”

“Who was she?” Sylphiel asked softly.

He had clammed up when Lina had asked the same thing, had not wanted to go near that subject at all. But with the way Sylphiel was looking at him… “My father was killed in the holy mines before I was born. He wanted to make money for our family. But, the villagers said that the gods weren't pleased with how he worked in the holy mines and killed him as punishment. They said that I was cursed as well.”

He stared at his hands. “I was always stronger than the other kids, so they were afraid of me. Mother didn't want me to cause problems, but it was the only way I could protect myself. So, I formed a gang. About two years before Lina came, the mines were bought by a rich family and a member of that family came out to inspect them. I ordered my gang to attack the coach and then saw her. It failed, but she felt so strange. I felt strange around her.”

“Did she project magic?”

Lyos frowned. “No, not really. I mean, I don't feel anything off of you, Lina or the princess and all of you use magic.”

“What happened then?”

“She ordered our village to work in the holy mines, even though everyone said it was forbidden. She came across me practice with my sword one day and said that I was powerful. She said that she liked powerful humans and objects. She ordered the village to let me go work in the mines even though I was supposedly cursed. I spent more time with her…Soi Len…and she told me about the legend of the Holy Warrior. She said that there was a possibility I could be it.”

Sylphiel held her tongue. There were similar legends in every kingdom that she had visited and sometimes they were used to manipulate young boys into going into service for overly powerful warlords. She nodded.

“One day in the mines, I struck something in the dirt. It was the hilt of a sword. Behind me, a huge caterpillar-like beast started attacking one of the villagers. My lady…Soi Len…told me to grab the sword. I did and it took this form.” Lyos set the bundle he still carried on the ground and unsheathed Banisher. “She announced that I was the Knight of Aqualord and that only the chosen one could use this sword.

“The village was upset, but Soi Len told me to grow strong. She went back to her father's and after awhile, we learned that she and her ship had been lost at sea. The villagers tried to make me give up the sword, but I refused to. So, I ran away.”

_He reminds me of Gourry-sama._ The comparison surprised Sylphiel, but it made sense. Gourry had left Elmekia for the same reasons. He never told her or her father much about his past, but he did reveal that much - that he had taken the Sword of Light at 17 and fled in order to preserve his family's honor.

“I came across Lina washed up on the seashore and a few days later, we found Gourry in one of the villages. Then we started our quest and I learned that Soi Len's ship was attacked by an ice serpent. I haven't learn much else since then.” Lyos leaned back against the tree and sighed. “She's probably dead.”

“Lyos-san,” Sylphiel mummered and placed a hand on his arm. He looked at her. “I had feelings for Gourry-sama for a long time. I even learned how to do the Dragon Slave hoping to impress him. Being around him and Lina-san…they have made me stronger people. I realize that I have to let me feelings go or they'll keep holding me back. Maybe all of this, your meeting Lina-san and coming here, is a sign from the gods saying that you have learned what you needed to from Soi Len and it's time to let her go as well. She'll be at peace, knowing you have lived up to your potential.”

Lyos wasn't quite sure how to respond, but he felt something deep in his heart shift. He kept his gaze steady on Sylphiel and for the first time in awhile, truly smiled. He placed his hand atop hers. “Thanks, Sylphiel-san.”

The sudden shrieking coming from the city walls startled both of them. Lyos jumped to his feet, swung Banisher before him. He scanned the park, only seeing crowds of people running down the streets away from the gates. He then looked skyward and saw the huge beast towering over the city. “What the hell is that thing?”

“It's coming for the city,” Sylphiel gasped and grabbed Lyos' hand. He barely had time to scoop his package off the ground as Sylphiel chanted Raywing and took to the air. He kept his hold tight on her as they flew above the crowd and over the city wall, toward the beast that seemed to be attacking something.

Sylphiel squinted and could see flashed of blue and pink in the air. As she grew closer, she recognized Zelgadiss and Amelia. “They're trying to fight that thing.”

“Maybe they found the fifth weapon.”

“I'm landing.” Sylphiel hit the ground and they began to run. They skidded to a stop as they watched Zelgadiss attack, then recoil from the beast. Sylphiel swallowed hard. “If Lina-san was here, she could do a Dragon Slave.”

“Didn't you tell me that you could do one?” Lyos gazed at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Well, yes, but it was the one time and…”

“Nah, you can do it again!” Lyos jammed the wrapped blade in his belt, then brandished his sword in front of him and smirked at the beast. He tossed a grin to Sylphiel over his shoulder. “I'll lop off its head and you incinerate that thing.”

“Lyos-san!” Sylphiel reached for him as he bounded off. She clenched her hands into fists and took a deep breath. He was right. There was no choice. Amelia and Zelgadiss were doing their best, but it wasn't enough. If the beast wasn't stop, they all would be hurt or killed. The city would be destroyed. Sylphiel lifted her hands and began to chant.

——-

“Zelgadiss-san!” Amelia flew toward him as he headed away from the beast. “Are you okay?”

“Don't touch me,” he warned her. “I'm covered with blood. Unfortunately, it's not enough to do any real damage. Do any of your palace sorcerers use the Dragon Slave?”

“No, they're not allowed to learn it.” Amelia's eyes widened when she saw the flash of a blue blade near the ground. “Look! It's Lyos-san!”

They watched as Lyos leaped into the air, swinging his blade down toward the beast's neck. The sword bit into the thick skin, opening a cut. Zelgadiss yanked out his sword and channelled the Astral Vine spell into it. He tossed the Darkstar weapon back to Amelia and flew back down. Lyos sprang back from the beast and Zelgadiss took his place, the magically sharpened blade biting deep into the widening neck wound.

Amelia started to maneuver herself into a better position when she caught sight of Sylphiel, standing near where Katarina had fainted. She squinted when she saw a ball of light form between Sylphiel's hands. _Fireball? No, too big and I don't think she has any control over…_ Amelia's eyes widened as she realized what spell she was pulling off. “Dragon Slave!” she screamed to Zelgadiss. “Sylphiel-san's casting a Dragon Slave! Get out of the way!”

Zelgadiss moved quickly, Lyos taking his place. With one last slash from Banisher, the head of the beast separated from its body. Zelgadiss grabbed Lyos by the back of his shirt and hauled him into the air just as Sylphiel released the spell. The massive ball of fire exploded over the countryside, leaving a huge crater where there had once been pasture.

When the smoke cleared, Amelia dropped the shield she had barely managed to erect over herself and Katarina. She winced when she caught sight of the city walls and the crumbling mess they had turned into. _And we had just barely completed repairs from when Lina-san did her Dragon Slave a couple years ago!_

——-

_The next day  
Kingdom of Saillune_

“Told ya you could do it,” Lyos boasted to Sylphiel as they stood on the balcony of Amelia's rooms, looking out over the city.

“I still destroyed part of the city though,” Sylphiel replied, throughly embarrassed as she surveyed the destruction she had caused.

“Don't worry, Sylphiel-san,” Amelia said brightly. “Daddy's used to this sort of thing from Lina-san. We even now have a budget specifically earmarked for Dragon Slave repairs.”

“Doesn't anyone find it disturbing that we have a need for such things?” Zelgadiss wondered.

No one said anything. Lyos pulled out his wrapped package and thrust it at Sylphiel. “Here. I rescued this when we were in Sairaag. Never found a chance to give it to you before now.”

Sylphiel's eyes filled with tears as she pulled off the wrapping that covered the Blessed Blade. “Lyos-san, I… You don't know how much this means to me.” She leaned over, kissed his cheek. “Thank you so very much.”

Zelgadiss and Amelia exchanged grins as Lyos promptly went scarlet. “So, what about Katarina?” Zelgadiss asked her.

“Daddy says that she's going back to Xoana and has encouraged the kingdom to take a hiatus before sending anymore ambassadors,” Amelia sighed. “He wants to get a budget set up for damages incurred by Xoana ambassadors first.”

“We still have that weapon to look for,” Zelgadiss replied.

Amelia nodded. “I should contact Lina-san, find out how things are going on their end. We can start looking through the libraries here and the museums. Daddy's given clearance and he's made sure that no one questions us even looking through the rare stuff.”

“I'll help you as much as I can,” Sylphiel volunteered.

“We can split it up,” Zelgadiss replied. “You and Lyos can start searching some locations and Amelia and I can go look at others. It shouldn't take us long since we're specifically looking for a weapon and not just book research. We're hoping that Filia's handling that end.”

“All right then. Amelia and I sat down last night and we devised a list…,” Zelgadiss' voice trailed off as the doors opened and an elf girl dressed in heavy armor stepped through. He noticed Lyos shift at his side, his hand reaching up for Banisher.

The elf paused and stared at them. “I am Memphis Linesword,” she announced, “and I have orders to take your group to the Kataart Mountains to meet with Milgasia-sama.”


	17. Lina Inverse and the Priests of the Wedding Temple

_Town of Rufala_   
_Kingdom of Zefielia_

“Where are we going again?” Gourry sat on the bed of the latest of small inn rooms they'd been forced to share since leaving the rest of the group. Lina had spread a map out on the floor, marking different places with a pencil with one hand while flipping through her spellbook with the other.

“Narrowing down our options.” Lina glanced back at the scribbled list in her spellbook and squinted at her own handwriting. It was one that she made when she was 11 and her writing at the time hadn't been much better than Gourry's was now - somewhere along the level of barely legible chicken scratch. “I made a list of all the temples I've wanted to see here since I was a kid and while I've been to a good many of them, there's about six I haven't checked out.”

“Out of how many?”

“A couple hundred.”

“A couple hundred? That's boring. Why'd you go to all those temples?”

She shot him an impatient look. “How do you think I learned my magic? The Sorcerer's Guild teaches you the basics, but most of the big time stuff is learned by seeking out other users of magic. The Guild likes to control who knows what and they weren't very keen on teaching an 11-year-old the Dragon Slave. Didn't you learn swordsmanship from different people?”

“A few,” Gourry conceded and yawned. He stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes. Swordsmanship, in his opinion, was a more entertaining activity than closing one's self up in a temple. “Maybe they knew of the potential destruction they were unleashing on the world if they taught you the Dragon Slave.”

Lina wasn't quite sure how her discarded boot had collided with Gourry's forehead, but she wasn't in the mood to deal with the resulting bruise that he deserved for that little crack. She tapped her pencil on a part of the map, then drew a line from a starred area of the map to one of the dots. She stared at it, then blew her breath out so that her bangs fluttered. “Well. Crud. We're a half day's walk from this place and I don't want to skip it. I think it's bogus, but it's still worth checking out.”

“What's that?”

Lina didn't say anything for a long moment and Gourry cracked open one eye to see Lina staring at the map, her face nearly as red as her hair. “Lina?”

“A temple. It's got some famous ties from what I hear. It's also one of the few places I've never explored in this kingdom, so it's probably a good place to start looking for a weapon." Lina felt her cheeks grow redder by the second. "Supposedly, this is considered a holy place to get married and you're destined to have a long, happy marriage, lots of kids, so on and so forth if you do so in this temple. You get married beneath this sword that's said to have strange powers and enhances the bond between the partners. Of course, it's nothing but bullshit, but the weapon's worth checking into."

Neither of them said anything and simply stared at each other for a long while.

“Oh, okay.” Gourry shrugged and closed his eyes again.

Lina nearly threw her spellbook at him.

He was snoring by the time she folded up the map and changed into her pajamas behind the privacy screen. She tossed a light blanket on top of Gourry, then slipped beneath the covers beside him, turned to face the window and tried her best to sleep.

It hadn't hit Lina until she and Gourry had reached an inn the first night after leaving the rest of the group that they hadn't traveled alone in a long time. The last time they had done so was the trip to go kill the demon that led to their being washed up on the shores of Kunan beyond the Mazoku barrier. They had been separated by the attack at sea and by the time they had reunited, Lyos had been in the process of escorting Lina to Titou.

Sharing a room, or a bed, wasn't that new of a concept to either of them. They had been shoved into cramped inn rooms more times in their partnership than they could count and had worked out a good system so that both could share the bed and get a decent amount of sleep. Gourry would sleep on top of the blankets and she would sleep beneath them. They normally faced back to back and Lina vowed to fireball him if he even remotely tried to do anything non-appropriate in his sleep.

Of course, that had been before everything had changed.

_This is stupid. It's not like the two of us haven't…_ She blushed as she remembered the hours following the battle at the Flarelord temple and then several stolen moments in their trip back north, including the one that Jillas - the little brat that was destined to be on the receiving end of several fireballs - had witnessed. Hell, if anything, she would had thought that they would be a bit more eager to be alone.

Neither of them had done or said anything to progress their relationship any further. In the days it took to cross through the southern part of Saillune into Zefielia, they had quickly fallen back into the old partnership that they enjoyed. They devoured food on a regular basis and Lina insisted on letting a few bandit groups know that she was back on the continent. They had even stopped long enough to perform a couple small mercenary jobs to replenish their money supply.

It had been easy to explore their relationship before because both of them knew that nothing could really change, not when surrounded by a big group of people and very little privacy. If they slept together, really slept together… She yawned and felt herself drift off to sleep. _If we sleep together, everything will change. Again. It wasn't so bad when this whole thing started, after that matchmaker incident. And it didn't feel strange after what happened a couple months ago either. We'll get to it when we get to it, I suppose._

When she woke up the next morning, Lina discovered that sometime during night Gourry had wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

She didn't fireball him.

——-

They didn't say much as they headed down the road toward the temple. Lina was trying to sort out what they had to do once they found the fifth weapon. First of all, destroy one of the weapons. But how? Lina cupped her chin in her hand. If the other weapons were anything like the Sword of Light, if they lobbed spells at the activated weapon, it would absorb them. If they tried to break the sword in its inert form, they would risk causing the core of the weapon to explode - and that would create quite a backlash that would take them all out.

There was the sticky matter of Valgaav. Lina hoped that Filia and Shizuri were finding the information needed to deal with him. Milgasia's appearance had disturbed all of them, but Lina felt she could trust him. He saved their lives and literally snatched Amelia back from death's door, along with trusting her with the Claire Bible. Lina glanced at Gourry out of the corner of her eye. _I wonder what Auntie Aqua would say? If there's even any remnants of her left after the fight against Gaav._

Then there was Almayce. Lina hoped that once the weapons were dealt with, both he and the Elder at Filia's temple would drop their relative pursuits against them. Neither of them had made a move in the weeks since they left the southern lands and Lina figured that they were waiting for her to bring the battle to them. She wasn't quite sure how long it would take for Almayce to recover from the wound she'd given him. She wasn't weeping over that one.

Lina tilted her head to the sunlight and closed her eyes. “It's a pretty day,” she commented.

Gourry stretched his arms and folded them behind his head as they walked. “Yeah, it is.”

“Sure'd hate to spoil it by getting in a fight with someone.”

“That'd be a shame,” he replied lazily. He grabbed the hilt of his spare sword and they spun around together, Lina's hands ready to launch a fireball.

The figure tailing them wore a heavy purple cloak that covered it from head to toe. The oversized hood was pulled far enough over its face that Lina couldn't even see a mouth. They sized each other up. The cloak parted and the figure raised a bare arm that gripped a sword. Without saying a word, it pointed the sword squarely at Gourry.

“A duel,” Lina muttered. “Some Zangulus wannabe?”

Gourry didn't say anything for a moment. Then he grinned and sheathed the magical sword. He pulled out the Sword of Light. “No, I don't think so,” he said as he removed the metal blade from the hilt. “Here, hold this,” he said, handing the blade to Lina and approaching the figure.

“What the hell do you think I am? Your squire?” Lina quickly jammed the blade into the ground. She braced herself to attack, but decided to see what they would do first.

Gourry approached the figure and they bowed to each other in an insanely old-fashioned move that nearly made her laugh. Then they leaped at each other.

The swords flashed, blue against silver like streaks of light being hurled against each other. Lina didn't expect that it would take long, but puzzled that he would choose to use the Sword of Light against a random duelist. _It's not like him to show off, to suddenly use something like that against an ordinary swordsman. He sensed something about that guy…_

Lina concentrated on the fight, on trying to see who was under the hood. Whoever the guy was, his swordsmanship was spectacular. It didn't take long for her to realize that Gourry was on the defensive and probably had been since the first swing. Every attack he attempted was immediately parried by the ordinary sword the cloaked figure carried.

Sweat trickled down Gourry's face as he leaped to the side, barely bringing up the sword in time to block a sweep at his abdomen. Lina frowned, squinted hard at the figure, then at the way that Gourry was fighting. _He's not trying to attack the guy physically. He knows when to use a swift kick to the gut. Why the hell are you holding back, you Jellyfish?_

Gourry evaded the next attack, spinning around to the figure's side. It followed, the cloak spinning out and giving Lina a good glimpse of what was beneath. Her jaw fell. _Skirts? He's fighting a girl! But who the…oh. Oh shit._ Her blood ran cold when she thought of all the female swordsmen that she knew. That came out to the grand total of one.

And she happened to live in Zefielia.

“Gourry! Retreat!” Her voice rose several octaves as a growing panic welled inside her. “It's no use! You're not going to beat her!”

He had both hands on his sword hilt now and had backed away a few feet from the girl. He ignored Lina, jumped onto a boulder and leaped into the air for an overhead attack.

The hood fell back, revealing the girl's face when she tilted it skyward. Calmly, she held up the blade crosswise over her face to block the attack. At the last possible second, Gourry swung his own blade out and twisted his body to the side. The girl spun with him, swinging the sword around as she did so. Their respective blades came to rest at the pulse points of the other's neck.

Lina stumbled back a few feet until she bumped against the trunk of a nearby tree. Then she allowed her knees to turn to water. “Si…Si…Sis!”

“Hello, Lina,” Luna Inverse calmly replied, her attention still focused on her opponent. She gave him a considering look, then removed the blade. “Shall we call this a draw, Gourry-san?”

“All right.” Gourry removed his own blade and picked up the metal one that Lina had left behind. “I think Lina's having issues,” he commented cheerfully as he reattached it to the hilt.

“Lina always has issues.” Luna spun to her and Lina instinctively flinched. “You're not glad to see me, baby sister?”

_Maybe. If I can remember how to work my vocal cords._ Her mouth opened and closed, then she finally said the first thing that came to mind. “How the hell did you know who he was?”

“Considering you only travel with one blond swordsman, it's easy for me to put a name to a face.” Luna sheathed the sword and raised an eyebrow. “It's not every day that one can say they've dueled to a draw with the Knight of Ceiphied.” She nodded to Gourry. “You're as good as they say you are. You'd done even better if you'd tried to get in a punch or a kick.”

He sheepishly ran his hand through his hair. “Well…you're a girl.”

“And if I'd been a female Mazoku?”

“That's different. Aren't Mazoku suppose to be asex…no, bisex…they're not suppose to have sex!”

“You mean they're not suppose to have a gender,” Luna corrected. “So, namely you didn't kick me because I'm Lina's sister.”

“I do value my own life.”

“Wait a minute!” Now Lina spun toward Gourry. “How the hell did you know she's my sister?”

He tilted his head to one side, studied the sisters, tapped a finger to his chin, then shrugged. “Dunno. Wild guess.”

“A wild guess? How much of a jellyfish brain can you possibly be?”

He scratched the side of his neck. “Well, you did say that your sister was scary. And this woman's kind of scary. You also said she was a swordsman. So, I figured she had to be your sister. You look alike somewhat in the face.”

“That,” Luna proclaimed, “is the most inane logic I have ever heard of.”

“Welcome to my world for the past four years,” Lina muttered and decided to chalk the entire incident up to Gourry simply being Gourry.

——-

_Two very long hours later_

By the time they reached the temple gates, Lina's nerves were truly shot. The last thing that she ever expected to see was her sister and her protector having a normal conversation. She was quite sure that she would see many other things - including Prince Phil in a tutu and Xelloss belting out tunes of love and justice - before she saw this.

She eyed Gourry and Luna and decided that Prince Phil was probably twirling across the Saillune palace at that moment in a blazingly bright blue tutu.

They had started by talking about swordsmanship, which seemed to be a perfectly safe topic. Then they had moved on to discuss Lina's activities and Gourry had been more than willing to share what he remembered from the past few years. It was only then that Lina realized that when it came to stories regarding herself that Gourry had a surprisingly clear memory. Part of her was pleased by that fact. The other part desperately wanted to find some way to sever his vocal chords without inciting Luna's wrath in the process.

“So, Lina got really mad,” Gourry was telling Luna as they approached the gates, “and she and Martina started chasing those two guys around with those brass racket things. That was after she blew up the stadium.”

The corner of Luna's lips quirked. “That sounds eerily like the time when Lina…”

“Ah, here we are!” Lina dashed up to the gates and grabbed the bars. She yanked with all of her might. _Open, open, open! Get me away from these two nut jobs!_ “Okay, let's get in here and check out that sword! Then you can run along home, Sis, and…”

“And nothing,” Luna announced cheerfully. “We have all the time in the world, and I've cleared my schedule just to be with you, sister dear.”

_Please, someone fireball me now._ Lina resisted the urge to bang her head repeatedly against the bars, then forced herself to focus on the mission. She stepped back from the bars and frowned. She reached out, gave them a quick yank. “Magically sealed,” she muttered and uttered the lock spell beneath her breath. When the gate wouldn't budge, Lina grunted.

“Hey, Lina, there's a button.” Gourry pointed to a small button on one of the posts, then pressed it.

A small panel above the button opened and a blue ball shot out. It smacked Gourry in the middle of the forehead and he dropped to the ground like a stone. The ball shot into the air, then dropped back down until it hovered in front of Lina. It twirled around, giving off a blue light, then a little box formed in the air. After a moment, the face of a freckled young man with hair a bright red appeared.

“Welcome to the Wheez Wedding Wonders, where you and your beloved shall be linked for a lifetime!” the man announced with a huge grin. “I'm Father Forge. Are you our 11 o'clock appointment?”

“It's not even nine,” Luna spoke up.

“You never know with brides and grooms,” Father Forge chirped. “They're eager to get on with it so they can…get on with _it_ , if you know what I mean.” He winked at Luna.

Luna rolled her eyes. Lina folded her arms over her chest and gave the priest her firmest look. “We want to take a tour of your temple. There's a magical sword in there, so I'm told.”

“That's right. It's a most blessed blade. It has some very unique magical properties to it. Whoever weds under that sword will have a most fruitful union.”

Lina couldn't keep the grin off her face. _With a sword like that, surely it could possibly be one of the Darkstar weapons!_

“Of course, only couples planning to get married are allowed to enter the temple,” Father Forge continued. “We can't have ordinary gawkers in here.”

“What?” Lina balled her hands into fists. “Are you insane?”

“The gates are charmed to keep out anyone who isn't wanting to marry or isn't a part of their party. If you try to fly over, you'll receive quite the nasty shock. A handy invention of my brother's.”

“Look, you, I…,” Lina jabbed a finger at Father Forge's image and prepared to give him a piece of her mind, followed by a fireball to the so-called charmed gates.

“As it just so happens, my sister and her fiancé are looking for a place to marry,” Luna announced. Lina's jaw fell and she froze as her sister brushed by her. “As you can see, they're wonderfully suited. As her most benevolent older sister, you understand I must accompany them as chaperone.”

“What's going on?” Gourry sat up and pressed a hand to his forehead.

“Oh, in that case, you're welcome onto the temple grounds,” Father Forge beamed. “Come in, come in! Always nice to see family looking out for their own. What's your names?”

“Luna Inverse. The gawking one is my sister, Lina, and the confused one is her fiancé, Gourry.”

“I'll be right out to meet you personally!” The image faded and the ball shot back into the panel.

When it snapped shut, the sound was just enough to knock Lina out of her daze. “Engaged?” she shrieked. “Gourry and I aren't getting married!”

“And just how else do you propose to get into this temple?” Luna gestured at the gates.

“You and Gourry pretend to be engaged then!”

Luna lifted an eyebrow. “Well, if you insist…”

An unexpected wave of jealously rolled through Lina and she gritted her teeth. “Oh, forget it. I'll go along with the charade. Gourry! Did you get any of that?”

“Get any of what?” Gourry was inspecting the post, rapping at it with his knuckles. He frowned. How did the ball come out? He'd seen the panel open, but there was no little door. Just the button he pressed. That was silly, every door opening had to have some sort of crack in it.

“See? Your prince charming has no clue,” Luna said cheerfully. “There's nothing saying you have to go through with the ceremony…of course, you have been traveling with him for four years…and sharing a room, I presume.”

“It's none of your damn business,” Lina growled. When the gates opened, she grabbed Gourry by his hair and hauled him in after her, leaving Luna behind.

——-

Jillas tugged the oversized robes around him and nudged the fallen body of the assistant priest with his foot. If the sleeping powder Gravos had given him held up as planned, he'd be out for several hours. It would be enough time to find the magical sword, grab it and get out. He sighed and tugged the wide-brimmed hat lower so it covered his eyes. After the mess he had to deal with in Shrigan, Gravos should had been the one to get this mission, he thought morosely. But no, Gravos had been shocked trying to get over the fence and was still unconscious. The big idiot.

Jillas decided that the best method of getting into the temple was through a tunnel that he discovered not far from the rear temple gates. It had taken a few blasts with some dynamite he carried with him to clear enough of a path to get him past the gates and onto the grounds. Maybe, just maybe Gravos would notice it when he woke up. Jillas had left him a note in any case, telling him to follow.

Jillas frowned. Then again, had Gravos ever learned how to read?

There was no time to worry about it. He had to get the sword and get one step ahead of Lina Inverse and her gang. They had three weapons now and in one of his moments of lucidity, Valgaav had expressed his displeasure over this fact. Jillas and Gravos had quickly decided that despite their devotion to their beloved Valgaav-sama that it was a very wise thing not to return to base without one of the weapons. They weren't that stupid.

He snuck down the hall, peering in different doors trying to look for the chapel. He shoved himself into a corner as a red-haired priest scurried past him. He glanced after him and saw that he was pretty close to the double doors that led outside. Jillas pressed himself into the corner and waited for the priest to leave.

The priest opened the door and gave an elaborate bow. “Welcome to our humble temple! I'm Father Forge Wheezy. You must be the lovely bride!”

“No,” a curt voice responded, “she is the bride.”

Jillas peeked out, then his jaw dropped as Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev and a second woman he hadn't seen before stepped into the temple. _Lina Inverse! You'll curse the fates that brought you to this temple!_ He rubbed his hands together eagerly, a plan rapidly forming in his mind as the threesome started down the hall behind the priest. This was perfect! He spotted the Sword of Light's hilt at Gourry's waist and wanted to cackle with joy. He could get Sword of Light as well as the magical sword for Valgaav! It would do much to elevate his status in Valgaav's eyes.

It would also help that Gourry was as dense as a brick.

Jillas scurried out of his hiding spot. “Young man!” he called out in his normal voice, then coughed. “Young man, wait,” he said in a raspy voice.

Gourry had been lagging behind Lina and Luna, not quite sure what was going on. They had gotten to the temple that Lina wanted, but then there was this business about needing to get married so they could go in. It didn't matter to him one way or another. They had almost married Lina off once so they could get to Sairaag. Lina had made it quite clear then that she wouldn't really get married before she was ready. So he figured that it was another one of Lina's elaborate hoaxes.

He frowned. Maybe Lina really did want to get married. It'd be something he could talk to her about when this was over. It wouldn't be a bad thing, getting married to her. It's not like they were going to be leaving each other. He had told her he was going to protect her for the rest of his life and he meant that. Maybe getting married would make her happy.

“Young man!”

Gourry startled, then turned to see a very short priest beckoning to him. He glanced over his shoulder at Lina and Luna, who hadn't noticed and were still following the other priest. Then he looked back at the priest who had stopped him. “Yes?”

“You're the ah… groom, right?”

Gourry scratched his head. _Play along with the hoax or else Lina'll get mad._ “Yeah, I think so.”

“Come with me then. You need to get ready for the ceremony.” Jillas beckoned down a long hallway and shuffled off. Gourry glanced at the girls one more time, shrugged then followed. _Lina better know what she's doing._

——-

“My office is this way,” Forge told Lina and Luna and escorted them down a short hallway. “We'll just go over the contract, outline the terms of the agreement and then we'll proceed with the necessary tasks. If all is as it should be, then we'll go ahead with the marriage ceremony.”

“What contract?” Luna asked with narrowed eyes. “What tasks?”

“We must be certain that the bride and groom are well-suited for each other, you see,” Forge explained. “They must undergo a series of three tasks. If they complete the tasks, they are deemed compatible. Of course, each task carries a slight fee, but we must cover the costs of executing the tasks. Oh, and the ceremony itself carries a nominal fee, along with the rental of the bridal gown, the groom's tux, the…”

Lina and Luna exchanged a look and they understood each other perfectly. “And these tasks are?” Lina asked lightly.

“In the first one, the bride is trapped inside of a magical ward shaped like an egg. The egg is placed in a blue dragon's nest and the groom must rescue the egg from the dragon.”

“What?” Both Inverse sisters shrieked. “Are you _insane_?”

Forge grinned at them. “We have to test their devotion for each other. Provided that you pass the first task and pay the nominal fee, you proceed to the second task. In this one, the bride is tied to a stake and sunk to the bottom of the lake out back. The groom has an hour to get the bride back or else the spell providing her oxygen lapses and she dies.”

Luna narrowed her eyes at him. “This sounds like the makings of an elaborate hoax to me.”

Forge stumbled a bit, then flashed a not-so-bright smile at her. “We want to ensure that our brides and grooms have marriages that last a lifetime. They must get their devotion tested.”

Luna folded her arms over her chest. “And I assume that should the groom grow desperate that for a _nominal_ fee that you provide the exact means for him to pass the task.”

Forge lifted his hands. “If they are willing to pay, then who are we to say no?”

Quick as a flash, Luna had Father Forge against the wall and a knife to his throat. “Oh really? Well, let me request a little bit of information from you, _Father._ The sword in your chapel. Is it really magical?”

Forge swallowed nervously, his eyes darting between Luna's face and the knife. “It is a most blessed blade…”

“I serve less oily crap at work. The truth.”

“Well…there is some spells on it that cause it to glow flashing lights and things like that. And for a nominal fee, we can even ah…make it cast some special effects when we perform the ceremony.”

“In other words, it's as much of a hoax as the rest of this temple. Just what I thought.” Luna relaxed her hold slightly. “Of course, you won't be performing any more bogus weddings. If I hear of any more `ceremonies' from this temple, I'll just have to accidentally leak some information about the dubious activities going on here to the right people. And trust me when I say that the people I know won't be amused. Do you agree, Lina?”

She hadn't been listening. Lina had yanked out her abacus and was going over figures. _If they charge this much for each of the tasks and this amount for the materials needed to get through them…_ She moved some of the beads from one side to the other and her eyes lit up. “I think we should let the ceremonies continue…provided that we get a cut of the profits, of course. The profits are divided 60/40 - with 60 percent to me and…”

“No,” Luna growled at her.

“But, sis!”

“You are not going to become partners with them.”

“Fine!” Lina whipped out a bag of gold. “5,000 gold to assume full license and creative control over your secrets. We can start a line of wedding temples, one in each kingdom.”

Luna scowled at her. “If you don't put that money away now, you and I are going to have a date with a bokken and a certain slug pit that I seem to recall you becoming very familiar with when you were a little girl.”

Lina paled and gulped. Okay, so maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Trembling, she shoved the money back in her cloak and made a mental note to come back here and deal with Forge after getting rid of Luna.

Then she realized they were missing a member of her party. “Sis, have you seen Gourry?”

“Not since Prince Charming came in with us.”

“Forge…”

They turned and saw a battered man wearing nothing but a pair of boxers limp down the hall. He had vivid red hair and a freckled face, just like Forge. Lina assumed that they were twins.

“Gred!” Forge struggled to get away from Luna. “What happened?”

Gred stumbled and hit the wall. His gaze darted among the woman and his trapped brother. “What happened here?”

Forge offered him a small grin. “It looks like we're going to have to find a new line of work, brother.

——-

Gourry followed the priest into a large chapel and immediately spotted the sword that Lina wanted. It was suspended from the ceiling, dangled over a spot right in front of a small podium. He frowned when he noticed a thin wire holding the sword up. _Someone could get hurt under that thing._ It looked to be a sharp sword, but only Lina would be able to tell if it had magic. He knew his spare sword had magic because Oren had told him so.

“Ah, here we are,” the priest said and shuffled in front of Gourry. “All I need is a little payment and we'll get things under way…such as your Sword of Light.”

Gourry immediately leaped backwards as Jillas revealed his face. He drew his sword at the same time as Jillas grabbed two bombs and lit them using metal rings on his fingers. He tossed them at Gourry's feet and they instantly exploded, sending a black smoke through the room. He backed up, coughing as the thick smoke filled his lungs, then lunged forward toward where he had last seen Jillas. He didn't remember the little guy's name, but he did remember that he was one of Valgaav's men.

Jillas dipped his hands into the robes and pulled out a small packet of powder. He backed clear of the smoke and squinted at the foreign writing. He grunted, then whirled around as Gourry jumped free of the trap. Jillas tore the packet open and tossed it at the swordsman's face, hoping to blind him long enough to launch more bombs.

Gourry threw up his arm, but the powder still managed to coat his face. He coughed again, breathing in the powder. It tasted sweet, almost like melted sugar, he thought as his vision suddenly went fuzzy. _Uh oh, this isn't good._ He planted his feet firmly and squinted at Jillas. The little fox was turning into a blurry haze and Gourry quickly swiped at his eyes to clear them.

“Ha!” Jillas yelled, rushing toward Gourry. He rammed himself into the larger man and Gourry stumbled backwards. He tripped over a small ledge, then fell backwards into a huge bower of flowers. His grip tightened on the Sword of Light and the last thing he saw before passing out was Jillas' face looming over him.

Jillas blinked, stunned when Gourry went limp. He reached out and tentatively shook his shoulder. “Hey. Hey! What gives?” He glanced at the crumpled packet in his hand and grinned. It had to be some sort of sleeping powder. What a stroke of luck! Mentally crowing to himself, he grabbed the Sword of Light from Gourry's slackened grip and raced from the chapel.

——-

“Gourry! Where are you, you jellyfish?” Half annoyed, half worried, Lina raced from room to room with Luna, Gred and Forge behind her. It would be just like him to get distracted by something and wander off in another direction. When she found him, she was going to kick some sense into him - with actual kicks.

She spotted the open chapel door, started in and skidded to a stop.

The pews were coated with a fine black powder. Several of them were toppled over and one was broken. She spotted Gourry lying in one of the flower beds that flanked the podium, arms and legs splayed. She yelled his name, ran to his side and grabbed his shoulders. “Hey! Jellyfish! What the hell happened?” Lina scanned his body for injuries and realized that something was missing. “What the,” she muttered, grabbing the empty belt sheath. “Where the hell's the Sword of Light?”

“Th…th…the little one took it.”

Lina straightened in time to see a third man emerge from one of the corners of the room. He trembled and wrung his hands frantically. “The guy came in here, and suddenly this little fox guy in Father Gred's clothes started attacking him. He threw some stuff at him and caused all this black smoke. They didn't see me, I'd just walked in. Then the guy right there tried to defend himself, but the fox guy used some of our patented sleeping powder and knocked him out. He grabbed the sword the guy was holding and ran off.”

Lina stomped over to the man and shoved him against the post. “Why the hell didn't you stop him?”

The man gulped. “I was… I didn't want to… I couldn't… Gred! Forge!”

The twin priests were kneeling by Gourry. One of the swiped a finger down his cheek and closely inspected it. “Ah, I see he used it.”

“Our patented powder?”

“Just perfected…”

“…it worked perfectly!”

“Now it just needs to be tested.”

“Tested how?” Luna asked in a terse voice as Lina hauled the third priest over to them.

Gred grinned proudly. “Why, we've been perfecting the third task.”

“You see, there must be a test the bride has to go through,” Forge started.

“And so we decided that the bride must kiss the groom.”

“It comes from an old story.”

“Very old story, very old.”

“If the groom is truly the bride's true love…”

“…her kiss will awake him and they will be wed.”

“So in other words, you knock the groom out with a sleeping powder and he'll be awaken when he's kissed. I take it that if he's kissed by anyone that he'll wake up.”

Gred and Forge exchanged sheepish looks. “Technically yes,” Gred said.

“But, of course, only the bride is persuaded to kiss the groom,” Forge added.

“But any kiss will do,” Gred finished.

Luna sighed. "I suppose there's nothing else to do but this." Luna turned to Lina and gestured to Gourry. "He's yours. Kiss him."

Lina instantly went scarlet. "What?"

"You're a couple. It's your duty to kiss him. Unless there's some aspect of the birds and the bees that our parents failed to impart to you and in that case, the job would then fall to me." Luna gave her sister a wicked grin. "I imagine you know what to do with him."

"I do kiss him!" Lina yelled, then remembered that they had an audience. She shot a death glare at the snickering con men, who immediately fell silent. She whirled around and jabbed a finger in her sister's face. "I absolutely refuse to kiss him! Not in front of all of you! Look, I'll use Dicleary."

"And when did you ever learn it?"

Luna had a point, Lina realized. She never bothered to learn much white magic beyond the basic healing spells. Ignoring Luna, Lina knelt by Gourry's side and cast Recovery on him. When he didn't revive, she scowled at him. "Cooperate with me, you jellyfish!"

"It...it doesn't work with Recovery," the third priest stammered, "we made sure of that just in case some white magic users passed through."

"We did quite a good job on the powder," Forge said.

"Nothing else on the market like it," his brother added.

Lina glared at them. "Why the hell didn't the two of you start up a joke shop or something like that? Oh, never mind. Out. All of you! If I'm going to do this, I demand privacy!" She stomped her foot and pointed at the door. "Out, out, out!"

"But, Lina-san..."

" _Out!_ And that includes you." Lina cast a sidelong glance at Luna.

"I'm going, I'm going. I want to talk to our little potion makers anyhow." Luna headed to the twins and grabbed each one by the arm. "So, gentlemen. Why don't you show me where you brew your little concoctions?"

Gred brightened. "We have a new one that we've just about to perfect."

"Care to try it?" Forge added. "We can use it on Jordan over there. It turns an ugly man into a handsome prince."

"I'm not that ugly!" The third priest protested as he followed Luna and the other two priests down the hall.

"No thanks," Luna's faded as they headed further away from the chapel. "Though, I heard that the Crown Prince of Saillune could benefit from a potion like that..."

When their voices died away, Lina surveyed the wreckage of the chapel. They had done quite a number on it. Most of the pews were broken and the once-pristine white ribbon streamers were reduced to tattered strips. She had to hand it to Gred and Forge. They knew how to pull off a con. She muttered to herself about Luna refusing to let her get involved in it. Then she looked down at Gourry. It reminded her of a fairytale that she heard when she was younger, something about a princess and seven dwarves. Like she'd been listening. He made quite a picture, lying on the flowers in an enchanted sleep.

"My life is not a fairy tale," Lina muttered as she dropped to her knees. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at her unconscious jellyfish. "Well, look at the mess you managed to get yourself into now. You know how these stupid stories go. Prince finds sleeping princess, is enchanted by her beauty, all that bullshit, then they go off and live happily ever after."

"Well, look at us. I'm going to kiss you awake and after I get done beating your brains out for losing the Sword of Light, we're going to go save the world. Again." Lina reached for Gourry's hand and wrapped her fingers around it. "Guess that's our twisted version of a fairy tale."

She leaned over him, brushing her lips against his. She lifted her face and grinned when his eyes fluttered open. She had planned to pull away, to begin yelling at him for the mess he'd gotten himself into, but couldn't quite find it in her to do so. Instead, she found her hold on his hand tightening as she captured his lips in a second kiss.

It was a gentle kiss, one that soothed and explored. When they broke apart, he lifted his free hand and gently tangled it through her hair before cupping the back of her head and bring her back down for a third, much deeper kiss. His hands moved beneath her cloak, skimmed up her back and beneath her bandeau. She pressed herself closer to him, fitting herself in the narrow space between his thigh guards. This time they ended it when the need for air grew too great and when they broke apart, they shared a look of complete understanding.

They weren't done. Far from it.

"Ahem." They looked over and saw Luna standing in the chapel entrance holding a beaker of pink liquid. She shook the beaker at Lina. "Come, sister. Drink this. After the little show I just witnessed, I think it's a good time for it."

They quickly separated. Lina got to her feet, walked over and accepted the beaker. "What is it?"

"Just drink it," Luna ordered and Lina started to do so. When it was about halfway gone, Luna gave her a devilish smile. "It's a standard contraceptive potion."

Lina choked and nearly spit it back out. Instead, Luna grabbed the end of the beaker and upended it so every last drop went down Lina's throat.

"A contra...," Gourry sounded out the new vocabulary word.

"Birth control!" Lina wheezed, then pounded on her chest until she got the rest of the liquid down. "You...You gave me a _birth control potion_!"

"And, you need it." Luna folded her arms over her chest. "If you suddenly wind up back at home due to an unplanned pregnancy, I will _not_ be happy. Not to mention that the world doesn't want another one of you around for a very long time."

"But Gourry and I haven't done anything!"

"Yet." Luna gave Lina a knowing look. "I may be single, but I'm not stupid. I know the look you're giving each other. It's my job to look out for you. Here." She handed a piece of parchment to Lina. "These are the ingredients for the potion. It's simple enough to brew, but if you need help, ask your princess or the dragon shrine maiden. You have to take it once a month and it'll protect you the entire time. Best time to take it is on the first day of your monthly. That way you won't forget it."

"Right," Lina muttered and nearly crumpled the piece of parchment up. She shot a glance at Gourry and was relieved for the first time in her life when he seemed to be more fixated on the cracks that ran along the wall rather than the conversation. "C'mon, Gourry. Let's get out of this place before it crashes down around our heads."

"Huh? Oh, right." Gourry filed the vision he'd just gotten of Lina holding a small baby in the back of his mind. As he followed Lina and Luna outside, he quickly forgot about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hardest thing about this chapter was deciding where to stop it. Luna's not just hanging around for comic relief. Lina's right to be worried about her sister's "timely" appearance.


	18. A Great and Terrible Burden

Lina kicked at a rock for a good bit of the way back to town, her mood growing worse and worse by the moment. The moment she had shared with Gourry had faded once she had to tell him that Jillas had lost the Sword of Light. He had been nearly upset as she was to lose the sword again, but was also the quickest to recover from it.

“It's not like I'm completely worthless in a fight,” he cheerfully told her as they left the temple. “I've still got this other sword.”

“It's not that,” she replied. “That means that Valgaav now has two of the swords and we have two. We no longer have an advantage over them and it really pisses me off.”

Gourry's face fell. “I'm sorry, Lina.”

She sighed. “Not much you can do about it. Running into Jillas was a fluke.” She cast Luna a glance. Her sister hadn't said anything since they left the temple and it worried her. “By the way, Sis, you never said why you were out here to begin with.”

“Oh? Maybe I'm out here to investigate a bogus temple to protect Ceiphied's good name.”

“Like you've ever been concerned about stuff like that before!”

Luna lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe you should believe in coincidences.”

“Yeah, and maybe I should had kept believing that a tooth fairy comes to deliver coins when my baby teeth falls out when really turned out to be Papa sneaking into my room at night.”

“Well, it was amusing when you fireballed him…”

“You mean the Tooth Fairy isn't real?”

The Inverse sisters leveled disbelieving looks at a crestfallen Gourry. “Tell me, Gourry, did you ever age mentally past the age of seven?” Luna asked.

“I don't think he can answer that one,” Lina muttered.

After an hour, they reached the inn Lina and Gourry had stayed at the previous night. Lina headed in to reserve two rooms, knowing there was no way she could get away with just one thanks to her sister. Her stomach growled and it was early afternoon. They had missed lunch. She exchanged a look with Gourry and saw the hunger in his own eyes. They shared a smile. Definitely lunch time.

“Hold it,” Luna said, snagging Lina's arm as she headed for the dining room. “You and I need to talk.”

Lina hesitated. “Um…after lunch?”

“No, _now_.” Luna nodded to Gourry. “You go ahead and eat. We'll be awhile.” She propelled Lina around and marched her out of the inn before she could start to protest. “One word about missing a meal and I'll make sure that you'll live to regret it.”

Lina decided that the smartest thing to do was keep her mouth shut.

The Inverse sisters walked side by side out of the village and down the road heading toward Zefiel City. They were a half day's walk from their home and for a time, Lina wondered if she was being taken to see her parents. That didn't make sense though. If they were doing that, Luna would had insisted that Gourry had gone along and they had left him behind at the inn.

Luna veered off the road onto a dirt path and Lina glanced around at the somewhat familiar scenery. Before the search for the Darkstar weapons, she hadn't been back in her own kingdom in a good five or six years. It didn't take long for her to realize where they were heading and her stomach twisted itself into a knot as they headed deeper into the woods.

When they emerged from the trees, they stood at the edge of the road. Where it had once curved gently toward sea level and a beautiful white sand beach, it was now cut off in a jagged edge and a steep drop to the sea below.

Lina stared into the water and decided that the angry churning completely fit the way she was feeling at the moment.

“You recognize this place.”

“How the hell do I forget it?” Lina snapped and looked back at her sister. “This is where I first cast the Giga Slave.”

“The imperfect Giga Slave,” Luna corrected her.

“Yes. Imperfect.” Lina remembered the time that she had cast it perfectly and wanted to swear at both herself and Luna. Since they had rescued the Sword of Light, she hadn't been haunted by what had happened.

Now it all came back to her, and not just the fight with Phibrizzo. Lina thought of her initial fight with Shabranigdu, the one with Copy Rezo, Gaav, Rikufalso and Hureika. She remembered looking into a mirror generated by the leftover memories of Aqualord, showing her what could had happened if she hadn't succeeded in channeling the Giga Slave into the Sword of Light. Tears ran down her cheeks as the images of Amelia and Zelgadiss being sucked into the Sea of Chaos came back to her mind. She closed her eyes when she relived the images she'd seen of Gourry reaching for her, their hands barely touching and then he was sucked away.

She wished more than anything that he was by her side at that moment.

“Why did you bring me back here?” she asked in a hoarse voice, her hands clenched into fists. “Why are you making me do this?”

Luna looked up into the sky. “Lina, why did I tell you to leave home six years ago?”

The corners of her mouth tugged. “Something to do with my selling pictures of you in the bath?”

Luna glared at her and despite the tears, Lina gave her a cheeky grin. “No,” Luna replied shortly. “Though, believe me, little sister, you might want to avoid the Sorcerer's Guild for awhile. I think they still get a chuckle out of the images of you potty training that someone just happened to slip them.” She smirked when all the color drained from Lina's face.

“Despite those circumstances, that wasn't it.” Luna turned her focus back to the sea. “I made the decision when you tried to cast the Giga Slave. Not many people saw it for what it was. I did. So did Mama.”

Lina startled. “Mama?”

“Are you forgetting that not only are you a merchant's daughter, but you're also a sorceress'?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why are you so surprised that our mother knows of the Giga Slave? She was quite the accomplished sorceress for her time. One would suppose that she was the Lina Inverse of her day.”

Lina honestly never thought of it. Lana Inverse was only slightly taller than her and mother and daughter had regularly competed to see if Lina would finally gain the inches needed to be taller than her mother. That had never happened. Mother and youngest daughter had also shared a tendency toward a smaller bust size, which prompted many men to who commented on that to be kicked out of the store.

But, growing up, she had seen the shrewd, calculating side of her mother that she thought came from being a merchant. Her mother practiced some light spellwork, but never engaged in anything heavy. Lina was quite sure she'd never even see a fireball come from her. A lot of it had to do with her mother's feelings toward the Sorcerer's Guild. They had wanted her to teach and she turned them down. She hadn't stopped Lina from taking classes there.

“After you cast the Giga Slave, Mama and I realized that you needed to travel and to learn on your own. Not just for you to gain the power that the sham of a Sorcerer's Guild in Zefielia couldn't teach you, but to give you the wisdom and maturity to handle it.” Luna gave her a sidelong look. “It took you long enough to gain that. If I had been anywhere in the area when you used the Giga Slave on Shabrangidu, I would had kicked your ass. I should kick your ass for using it again against Phibrizzo.”

“There was nothing else to do!” Lina shot back at her. “He was killing Gourry!”

“You would choose the life of one man over the entire universe?” Luna yelled.

“Yes and I'd do it again if I had to do it all over!” Lina's voice dropped to a whisper. “You don't know how long that haunted me. I thought everyone would hate me, being so selfish. I am selfish because this world wouldn't be worth much for me at all if he wasn't in it.”

“You are selfish,” Luna agreed. “It was an immature, stupid decision. I don't appreciate having my life potentially be sacrificed in order for you to save one man.” The look in her eyes gentled. “I'm also very proud of you for what you did. The reasons were selfish, but this world wouldn't be worth much either way if Phibrizzo had gotten control of everything. The oblivion of the Sea of Chaos would had been welcomed if that had happened.”

When Lina didn't say anything, Luna continued. “It was selfish, but at the same time you learned something that's even eluded me. You learned to place another person's life before your own, Lina. I'm sure that if something happened to our family, you wouldn't hesitate in defending it. You wanted him to have a life, even if it meant sacrificing your own. It's something you didn't know before you left home. You've grown up. You've fallen in love and even though I do question the man's mental capacities, I suppose you could had done worse. I'm proud of you.”

Drained, Lina sank to the ground and dangled her feet off the edge of the cliff. “Is that what you brought me out here for?”

“Not quite.” Luna settled herself next to her. “Part of it. I'm not without my resources, Lina. I know in good detail what's happened to you since you came across the Philosopher's Stone and decided to keep it.”

“Xelloss.”

“A good guess and a correct one.” A cryptic smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Zelas' general and I have quite the history, going back to the day where he happened to witness your first Giga Slave attempt. We have had many discussions regarding your activities, though he does not know the details of what happened in Airlord's lands. For that, you will need to fill me in.”

She did. For the next three hours, Lina recounted her trip overseas in great detail. At one point, she pulled off her glove and displayed the Airlord emblem on the back of her hand. Luna said little during the time. When Lina finished, Luna sighed. “I know you keep a stash of food in your cloak. Bring it out.”

It wasn't the feast she had served for Lyos, but it was enough to feed the two of them. They ate in companionable silence. When they had finished, Luna got to her feet. “You haven't asked me yet.”

“About what?” Lina looked up from the last of her sandwich.

“About why I insisted that you help Filia.”

“I figured you'd get to it eventually.”

Luna inclined her head slightly. “`There shall come a controller of a Darkstar, who calls forth the light and the world shall be flooded with darkness. Dragon's blood shall spread and following the power between light and darkness, a single star shall be awakened. Around the star shall spin five lights and the power shall be darker than twilight and brilliant beyond the dawn. When the power is loosed, we shall fall to an arrow which will split the heavens apart.' That's what the prophecy says. Have you thought about what it means?”

“Not really,” Lina admitted. “Filia's brought it up a couple of times, but we've been so busy trying to find the weapons before Almayce or Valgaav does that we haven't dwelt on it that much. Filia talked about it some when she originally told it to me, and some parts have become apparent. The five lights refer to the five weapons. She says that the power between the light and the darkness refers to humans.”

Luna didn't say anything for a minute. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “There's a funny little thing about prophecies,” she said in a slightly bitter voice, “and that is different people have different interpretations of the prophecy. Did Filia tell you that I delayed for a day before giving her my answer?”

Surprised, Lina shook her head. “No, she didn't.”

“I wanted to interpret the prophecy for myself. At the same time, one of your letters had managed to reach us, the one where you told us about Airlord's power and how you were staying behind to explore the lands across the sea for a few months. Everything has a coincidence, Lina.” Luna gestured to the inlet. “Your ability to cast the Giga Slave is no mistake. You were given that knowledge, the capacity to contain such a power for a reason.”

Something cold started to form in Lina's stomach and she did her best to ignore it for the moment. “I've already used my power to defeat a piece of Shabranigdu and help bring down Phibrizzo, plus Rikufalso and Hureika.”

“I know.” Luna closed her eyes and it looked to Lina that she was drawing upon some source of inner strength. “There shall come a controller of a Darkstar, who calls forth the light and the world shall be flooded in darkness. I think that this might refer to Valgaav, though it could also apply to Almayce. Hell, it could even apply to Xelloss if we can ever find out what his intentions are. That is the person that will ultimately need to be defeated.”

Lina shrugged. “I was kind of expecting that.”

“Dragon's blood shall spread and following the power between light and darkness, a single star shall be awakened. You fought at Filia's temple, right?”

“Yeah, but none of the dragons were injured that I know of.”

“It might mean that more blood shall be spread, possibly in an effort to get the weapons. You mentioned that Filia's elder was not happy about any of this.”

“A tad bit upset,” Lina said dryly.

“Around the star shall spin five lights and the power shall be darker than twilight and brilliant beyond the dawn. When the power is loosed, we shall fall to an arrow which will split the heavens apart.” Luna opened her eyes and pinned Lina with a steely look. “When I looked at that and the statement above, I realized that Filia had it almost right. The power between the light and the darkness does refer to humans, or rather a single human.”

Lina's jaw fell. “Wait…wait a minute. I thought Filia was joking when it said…”

“She doesn't know. It's my belief that the prophecy specifically refers to you.”

Lina was grateful that she was sitting, because she was sure that her legs wouldn't be able to support her at the moment. “Why?”

“Because you are an unusual human being, Lina. You are the only one that I am aware of who has the capacity to draw upon the power of both the gods and the chaotic magic from Mazoku. Humans have the capacity to learn those spells, but there isn't a single one alive that could pull off a Ragna Blade followed by the use of Airlord's powers. I'm not a sorceress, nor do I want to be one. But I do know that those two realms of magic are polar opposites.”

“Sylphiel! She can cast both Dragon Slave and Resurrection.”

“That's white magic and black magic in its basic form. You're going up against a fully intact dark lord, Lina. That'll most likely require Holy and Chaotic Magics of a higher level than that, even though the Dragon Slave is incredibly powerful.” Luna kept her gaze leveled with Lina's. “To fulfill the prophecy, you'll have to draw upon both the god's magic and the Mazoku magic you have inside you at the same time. You'll use that channeled with the energy from the Darkstar weapons. You'll only have one shot to stop everything. You'll most likely be killed in the process.”

——-

She wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone. There was no other way she could even begin to handle what her sister had told her without the solitude. Luna had respected her wishes, told her that she would be back in the morning and had walked away. For a moment, Lina wondered if her sister had gone back home to their parents. Did they even know about the prophecy?

Her mother had told her after being subjected to Luna's punishments that she had the strength to get through anything that life handed her. For the most part, Lina considered it to be true. She faced everything life threw with her with conviction because she wasn't going to sit there and allow someone else to dictate her fate for her. Yet this was exactly what this prophecy was doing. If Luna's interpretation was correct, it was Lina's destiny to face Darkstar - an intact dark lord that would be more powerful than the one piece of Shabranigdu she'd fought - and take him out and herself possibly with it.

She'd faced death before, nearly on a constant basis since she'd turned 15. She wasn't afraid of dying. She'd faced all of her mortal battles with the knowledge that she had done everything that she could. If she was going to die, then the act would be her decision.

But she wasn't being given a choice in this matter and for some reason, it didn't seem very fair. Lina thought back to the Giga Slave and realized why Luna had her talk about it. It had been a similar situation. She had taken the fate of the world in her hands then as well, but it had been strictly her own decision at that moment. She was at peace knowing that Gourry would live on, as well as her friends.

Lina started trudging back toward Rufala, knowing that it would take her at least an hour to get back, if not more. She could had flown, but she needed to walk and think. Every task she'd done, from making the decision to take on Rezo to going after Airlord's power had been something she wanted to do. She never wanted to be part of this prophecy to begin with. She wanted to explore what had finally been realized in Kunan, when she accepted her feelings for Gourry. She wanted to explore, to collect treasure and to do what she'd done for years.

This time, she wasn't at peace. She wasn't ready to die. She wasn't going to give up everything because of some stupid meddler from another plane of their universe. _Darkstar is their dark lord. Someone from their world can deal with it, thank you very much._

Another blessing about the previous times she had faced death - there hadn't been this foreknowledge of it. Every decision had been made right at the critical moment and there wasn't time to think over the pros and cons of it. As she walked, Lina thought back to every decision she had ever made and the weight of what Auntie Aqua had once shown her came back to her. She had replayed Lina's decision to use the Giga Slave against Shabranigdu to show her the possible consequences of not thinking again. Lina gave a bitter laugh. She'd turned right around and done it again with Phibrizzo.

Lina stared up at the stars as she approached the inn, her hand curling into a fist. _Hang it. I'm not going to let Darkstar screw up my life. I'm going to figure out a way to get rid of him without having to use both powers in myself. If not, I'll…_

“There you are!” Lina startled, whirled around in time to see Gourry striding across the front lobby of the inn toward her. He was grinning and looked well rested. Probably had spent a good bit of the afternoon sleeping, she thought. She gripped doorway as he reached her side and fondly ruffled her hair.

“You two were gone a long time. Did you go visit your folks?”

“No,” she replied tightly. “We had a very long talk, that's all.”

“That's a good thing! You should spend more time with your sister. Families are pretty important,” he lectured and headed for the dining room. He plopped into the first empty seat he saw, reached for the menu and paused, giving her a concerned look. “Lina, are you okay? Wanna eat?”

“I'm not hungry,” she declared and turned away from him. “I'm going to go take a nap.”

She could feel herself losing it, could feel the enormous weight of what Luna had told her about to crash down on her. She moved quickly away from the table, bolted up the stairs. She reached their room and had nearly thrown the door shut when Gourry inserted his hand through the crack. It nearly slammed on him instead. She gave him a furious look as he shoved it open. “I want some privacy!”

“Not until you tell me what's wrong!”

“Nothing's wrong!”

“Bullshit!”

_I can't tell him._ Lina turned away from him, clenched her hands into fists. _If I tell him, it'll tear him apart. He'll want to save me and…he can't. Not this time._ She stared at her hands, Luna's words echoing in her mind.

“Lina?” Gourry's voice was much softer now and he placed a hand on her shoulder. “What's bothering you?”

She wasn't sure if the comforting gesture did it, or Luna's words finally hitting their mark. She whirled around, threw her arms around him and began to sob. He staggered back from the force of the embrace, but quickly returned it. On some level it terrified him. He'd seen Lina in all sorts of moods - from ecstatic to worried. He'd never seen her cry, not like this. Not like her world was ending.

Mortified at herself, she pulled away and saw the large damp patch on his shirt where the tears soaked through. She drew in several deep breaths, regained her composure. An old saying of her mother's came back to her. Those who dance must pay the fiddler. Lina had done a lot of dancing in her own way and this was the result of wanting to gather so much power. _I don't want to die. I'll figure a way around this. There has to be another solution. I can't tell anyone. Not Amelia, not Zel. Especially not Gourry._

She reached for him, jerked on his shirt until they were nearly eye-level and crushed her lips to his.

_If this is all the time I've got left, damn it, I'm going to make sure I don't regret any of it._

_——-_

He stared at the ceiling, watching the moonlight crawl along the wood paneling. On the other side of the room, he could hear the water clock ticking off the seconds until dawn. His hand absently moved through the hair splayed across his chest.

On many levels, he felt better than he had ever felt in his life. It hadn't been perfect and they were both realistic enough to realize that going into this. But the release of the tension that had been building between them for years had been nothing short of…well… He was sure that there was a word out there for it. Lina probably knew what it was, the feeling when everything has suddenly relaxed after being tensed for so long. It just felt _good_.

But Gourry also knew that something was very wrong.

He hadn't had much of a chance to think after everything had started. Lina had been mad about the Sword of Light, but that'd been normal for her. It didn't really thrill him that much either, but there was nothing they could really do about it at the moment. They were going to get it back. He puzzled briefly over how detached he felt about the sword now. Maybe it was because it was gone for so long. It also helped that he had a good sword to replace it at the moment. He was grateful he hadn't gotten rid of it.

Then she had gone off with her sister and had come back looking shattered. Whatever had troubled her, she had managed to hide it. Usually he could tell what she was thinking, but not with this. Whatever it was, she was determined not to say anything about it. His hold on her tightened. The best thing he could do was respect her wishes about it. Maybe she would feel like talking about it in the morning.

He never got a chance to bring up the subject. Somewhere between waking up to find Lina initiating a repeat of their previous nighttime activities and waging their daily war over who got the most muffins, the issue slipped from his mind. As they finished their breakfast, Luna strode back into the dining room with an elf girl dressed in armor by her side. Gourry spotted her first, the sight so unusual that he stopped eating. Lina took this chance to relieve him of his toast.

“What's going on?” she asked between bites, turned and stilled when Luna and the elf approached the table.

The elf gave them a nod. “I'm Memphis Linesword. I'm here to escort the two of you to Milgasia-sama. I'll be going for your friends Amelia wil Tesla Saillune, Zelgadiss Greywords and Lyos, the Knight of Aqualord shortly. The other members of your party, the two servants of the gods, are with Milgasia-sama now.”

_They made it._ Lina dropped the toast and stood. Her eyes fixed on Luna's. If her interpretation of the prophecy was correct, she would never see her sister again. For a moment, she was overcome with the need just to hug her sister, to hang on and be a little girl. But the two had never shown much physical affection toward each other.

“Well, don't want to keep him waiting,” she said lightly. She nudged Gourry's leg with her foot. “C'mon, big guy. Let's get going.”

Gourry shoveled in two more pieces of bacon and a forkful of eggs before abandoning his breakfast. The three followed Memphis outside. Lina hesitated, then turned back to Luna. “I'll make you proud,” she said.

Luna smiled. “You've already made me very proud, Lina.” Without acknowledging the look of shock that passed over her sister's face, she turned and started down the road to Zefiel City.


	19. Those Who Serve the Gods

“You know, it would had made this slightly easier if one of them had come with us,” Filia commented as she squinted at the mountain range that grew closer as she flew toward it. She fervently hoped that this was the right mountain range. It would set the two of them back several days if they had made the wrong guess. “Lina-san and Zelgadiss-san had been here before. One of them would make an excellent guide. Amelia-san as well.”

Shizuri smirked at Filia's omission of the other two members of their party. Gourry and Lyos would had made excellent guards, but pitiful guides, though Lyos had a better shot at it than Gourry did. “Well, considering that Amelia is one of the royal princesses of Saillune and Zefielia is Lina's homeland, it would make sense for those two to go there. Gourry goes wherever Lina goes.”

“But Zelgadiss-san doesn't have any ties to Saillune. He could had gone with us.”

“Ah, Filia. My friend Filia.” Shizuri patted her neck comfortingly. “You have much to learn about the ways of love. Zelgadiss went with the princess for the same reasons that Lyos went along to see a certain priestess. Our chimera has a little thing for our princess.”

Filia gave a little snort of indignation. “We don't have time for romance.”

“Romance happens whether or not you wish for it to happen. If one or all of us dies in fulfilling this prophecy, then our lives would had been cut short before we truly get a chance to live them. We need these moments of happiness, so we can live for them. That's the way humans are.”

Filia didn't say anything for awhile and Shizuri decided that it was the end of the argument. It surprised her when Filia suddenly lifted her head. “I guess… I've never had much of a life beyond my duties. My father was a high priest at the Flarelord temple before his death. I was born and raised in the temple. I'm fulfilling this prophecy because I know it's my duty and I'm doing the right thing.”

“You did show a lot of guts by standing up to your elder,” Shizuri admitted, not quite sure she would had done the same if confronted with Zasu.

Filia didn't say anything for awhile and Shizuri wondered if it was because she didn't want to talk about what happened at the Flarelord temple. She shrugged. She'd talk about it when she was ready.

“I've never been in love,” Filia admitted after a few minutes.

“I have. It's a good feeling.”

“You have?" Filia's eyes went wide with surprise. "What happened to him, if I may ask?”

Shizuri gave a faraway smile. “Like some of us, he serves a higher power. I recognize that and realize that his duties are to the gods before me. I have the same view. He gave me a chance when no one else would give one to me. I truly believe that Ceiphied brought him into my life to show me what love is and give me a second chance. That's why I accept his priorities.”

“Do you miss him?”

“That's a stupid question,” Shizuri retorted and gave Filia's neck a light slap that she didn't even feel. “Of course I miss him. But he would had been disappointed in me if I hadn't gone to fulfill his wishes for me to explore this continent. There is a reason for me being here, and I suppose it's to help stop Darkstar from being summoned.”

“I see.” Filia angled her head and squinted through the sunlight. In many ways, she didn't see. She didn't remember her mother and her memories were of being raised to accept her role as a priestess and spend her life dedicated to serving Flarelord. It was the way of her people, she had been told. Yet humans could choose whether or not they could serve the gods. They could decide what they want to do with their lives and it made her feel a bit resentful.

She spotted a flash of gold, then her jaw dropped as she saw golden dragons, hundreds of them, flying over the mountains. “Shizuri-san…”

Shizuri looked up, her eyes growing wide when she took in the number of dragons. “I think we found it.”

Filia beamed. “Thank goodness!”

Several of the dragons suddenly switched direction and turned toward them. Shizuri lightly gripped Filia's hair and they hovered, waiting to see what would happen. Several of the dragons had weapons and Filia reared back slightly. Shizuri swore beneath her breath as the dragons formed a circle around them. She braced herself and wondered if she would be able to distract them enough for Filia to flee if they attempted to attack.

“You are a stranger to us,” one of the dragons announced. “We do not recognize your aura, nor that of the human you carry.”

Filia drew herself up as much as possible without knocking Shizuri off. “I am Filia ul Copt, daughter of Bazzard ul Copt, former high priest to Flarelord. I am a priestess to Flarelord and have come seeking aid from the one you call Milgazia.”

The dragons said nothing, then the one who originally spoke inclined his head. “We have been expecting you. Please follow, Filia-san.”

Shizuri let out the breath that she hadn't realized until that moment she'd been holding. The circle of dragons did not break, but provided silent escort into the heart of the mountains. As they approached a ledge, Shizuri spotted evidence of a great battle. A little shrine looked to be destroyed and there was big gouges of rock torn out of the side of the mountain. She wondered if that was where Lina had fought prior to Gourry being kidnapped by Phibrizzo.

The dragons led them past the battle site to a series of buildings. As they lowered to the ground, they transformed into their human forms. Shizuri jumped and Filia did the same. They moved close to each other and gave their escorts a wary eye.

“Ah, here they are, Milgazia-sama!” An elf girl bounded out of one of the buildings, carrying armor in one hand. “It's just like you thought!”

A taller man dressed in white, golden hair flowing down his back, followed the girl. He nodded to her and approached Filia and Shizuri. The circle of dragons parted as he made his way into the circle. He stopped a few feet away from them and gave them a considering look. “I am surprised that Lina Inverse isn't with you.”

“Lina-san is conducting business elsewhere at the moment. My name is Filia…”

“I know who you are, daughter of Bazzard ul Copt.” Milgazia's eyes softened for a moment. “You look very much like him.”

Filia startled. “You knew my father?”

“Very well. I also knew your mother. Unfortunately, I did not see him before his untimely demise since the barrier was erected prior to his death. Xelloss?”

Filia shook her head. “No, Xelloss did not attack our tribe.”

“It is a good thing.”

“Father died of illness. He wasn't in any pain,” she added.

“That is also a good thing.” Milgazia's eyes hardened again and Filia swallowed slightly, trying to ignore the fear that started to develop. “I have been asked by the elder at your temple to have you arrested on sight should you make an appearance in these mountains.”

No! Filia backed away, trembling. Shizuri grabbed her arm, partly to steady her and partly to make it easier to try to make a run for it.

“You do not have reason to fear, Filia. I won't arrest you.”

Filia's self control eluded her for a moment and her jaw dropped. “You… You won't, Milgazia-sama?”

“No. Please follow me.” Milgazia headed back into the building he had emerged from with Memphis moments earlier. Filia and Shizuri followed, still on their guard.

The building was lined with shelf after shelf of books. Along the far wall, a similar setting of shelves held rolled up scrolls. The wooden structure jutted from the face of the mountain and the actual interior was a lot deeper than either of them expected. There was no decoration on the ceiling or any of the exposed walls. Rugs were scattered over the floor and several couches had been placed around the room.

“This is my personal library,” Milgazia told them. “The official library and the temple itself are further inside the mountains, surrounded by a special ward. We have had to take precautions since the unfortunate incident that happened during the Kouma Sensou.”

If that's what you call an arrogant Mazoku wiping out a good bit of your tribe, Filia thought a bit bitterly as Milgazia indicated a circular table in the center of the room. He took a seat and the girls followed suit. He signaled to to the elf girl. “My apprentice, Memphis Linesword. Have Madeline bring us a pot of tea and some snacks.”

A look of indignation crossed Memphis' pretty face before she nodded and walked briskly out of the library. Milgazia watched her go with a slight smile. “She hates these types of tasks, which is why I dole them out to her. She must learn the patience that comes along with them.”

Filia and Shizuri nodded. They both sympathized with her completely.

Milgazia's attention turned to Shizuri. “I do not know much about you. You are an illusionist from what I hear, and you say you're in service to Aqualord.”

“That's right. I've sworn myself to the Temple of Aqualord in the city of Titou.”

“Kunan Country, correct?”

Surprised, Shizuri nodded. “Yes, that's right.”

“Don't look so shocked. Titou is quite an old city and was around before the Mazoku barrier was erected. It is in a land without dragons, yet we are familiar with the worship of Aqualord and Airlord that the humans do on that continent. You'll find these days that on this continent, pretty much all the information about the lands beyond the Mazoku barrier is confined to these mountains and that is old information indeed. I am planning to follow in the kingdom of Saillune's footsteps and send out some emissaries to update our libraries.”

Milgazia nodded to Memphis as she walked back in with the tray of tea and snacks. “Thank you,” he told her before turning his attention back to Shizuri. “You are not a full priestess?”

“I have no desire to be one. You do not have to become a priestess to swear yourself to the temple.”

“Interesting,” Milgazia replied and accepted the cup of tea from Memphis. “Don't go, I need you hear for the first part of my talk with Filia and…Shizuri, am I correct?”

Shizuri nodded and Milgazia went on. “A couple months ago, I received a visit from an old friend of mine from the Flarelord temple in the southern lands. I was surprised, but was expecting it since I knew the barrier had gone down after Phibrizzo's defeat. In fact, I wondered why it had taken so long for the Flarelord temple to try to reestablish some sort of contact with this one. He told me about the prophecy and the events that transpired when Lina Inverse and her group came down to discuss it with your elder.”

“That did not go very well,” Filia said in a diplomatic tone. Shizuri stared at the ceiling and repressed a snort. That was quite like saying that having a meal with Lina and Gourry was an “interesting experience.”

“Your elder is not very happy with you, Filia-san.” Milgazia gave her a serious look that nearly had the younger dragon squirming in her seat. “He has requested that I arrest you on sight and return you to him. Preferably alive, but he would accept dead as well.”

Shizuri immediately scooted her chair back, ready to leap to her feet. Memphis's hand moved to her weapon. Milgazia held up a hand and shook his head. “There's no need for that. I have decided to reject the Elder's offer and instead allow Filia sanctuary here. If I hadn't, the two of you would had never been allowed to enter in the first place. I am not one to trap my enemies with false hospitality.”

Shizuri gradually lowered herself into her seat and looked over at Filia. The priestess' eyes were wide and unseeing. Her face had gone completely white and her tail had fallen from beneath her skirts. She trembled violently and pressed a hand to her mouth. Without warning, she quickly turned to her side and vomited on the rug.

Shizuri sprang from her seat and patted Filia's back. “Hey, pull yourself together, Filia.”

“I…I…”

“Here.” Shizuri yanked her handkerchief out of her pocket and pressed it into Filia's hand. Filia pressed it to her mouth and gagged. When Shizuri offered her tea, she waved it away for a moment before straightening. Hands shaking, she accepted the cup and sipped at it to rinse the sour taste out of her mouth.

After a moment, she set the cup down and looked at Milgazia, tears shimmering in her eyes. “I apologize, Milgazia-san, I didn't mean to be ill like that.”

His face softened. “You are young, Filia. Youth never expect to meet the cruelties of life the way you have. I will send for someone to clean it up. You and Shizuri-san can go rest for a little bit. We have much to discuss, but I wanted to let you know where my tribe stands. We stand with you and we stand with Lina Inverse.”

“Why?” Shizuri asked, her arm around Filia's shoulders.

“Lina Inverse originally came to us nearly two years ago escorted by Xelloss. I was, naturally, not inclined to let her pass. She wanted to see the Claire Bible. However, I had been reassured that Lina wanted to do this for reasons beyond herself. There was a threat to us all at the time and Lina obviated it. Since then, I have trusted her. The other reason has to do with our segregation from the golden dragons in the southern lands. It is a story that will take some time to tell and I believe has everything to do with your search for the Darkstar weapons.”

Filia's eyes went wide and she lowered the handkerchief. “You mean, you know where the final Darkstar weapon is, Milgazia-san?”

He nodded. “I believe I do.”

Shizuri let out a whoop. “We hit the jackpot, Filia!”

“This is wonderful!” Her eyes shining, Filia withstood the urge to race around the table and throw her arms around Milgazia. Things like that simply weren't done. Instead, she bowed as low as she could since she was still seated. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Milgazia-san.”

“You may not thank me before this is over. Memphis,” Milgazia said, motioning to the elf. “Make preparations to locate Lina Inverse and her party. You are to bring them straight here.”

“The rest of our party has divided,” Filia explained and gave Milgazia the locations of where Amelia, Zelgadiss and Lyos had gone in Saillune and where Lina and Gourry had gone in Zefielia. Memphis nodded and left the room.

Milgazia stood. “It will be sometime tomorrow before Lina Inverse and her party arrives. I will show you two to guest rooms and you can rest. I will send someone up to assist you with your illness if need be.”

“No, it's not necessary, thank you,” Filia replied.

“I see. Then how about we take a walk? That is, if you don't mind, Shizuri-san?”

“Not at all.” Shizuri rested a hand on Filia's arm. “You sure you're going to be okay?”

Filia gave her a wan smile. “Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you, Shizuri-san.”

“Please. Drop the honorific. You just lost your lunch in very close proximity to my feet. I think that's enough to have us bypass the formalities.”

Filia blinked, then grinned. “Okay, then, Shizuri.”

——-

Milgazia escorted Filia along a path, pointing out various buildings that made up the town buried deep into the mountains. He motioned toward the large temple to Aqualord that lay in the center of the town. All of the other buildings spread out from it and reminded her somewhat of Saillune during the visit she had made to find Amelia before learning that she had traveled to Kunan on a diplomatic mission.

“All of the dragons that live where you are have pledged their lives in service to Flarelord,” he commented as they walked past the temple.

“Yes, that's right,” she acknowledged. “Those who aren't priests or healers are soldiers. We have a few in what you would call a servant role, but we call them nuns. Everyone is required to spend many hours in prayer daily to Flarelord. Is that not how things are done here?”

“No. I'm not a priest to Aqualord. I am in service to her, I honor her always, but I am not a priest. I suppose I am a lot like your friend, Shizuri.”

Filia bit her lip. “Then, how are you leader of the golden dragons here?”

“Age. Wisdom. I've seen a lot. I'm not as old as your elder, but I am getting there.” Milgazia closed his eyes and saw the destruction of caused by the Kouma Sensou as clearly as if it had just taken place. “I have witnessed the massacre of our people by Xelloss. I was there when the Mazoku barrier was erected and communication cut off with all tribes of dragons. I won't go into it too much. I only want to tell the story once.”

Filia nodded. “Could you at least tell me why you've chosen to give me sanctuary?”

Milgazia gave her a sharp look. “I gave you my reasons, Filia-san.”

“Yes, I know that,” Filia hastily said and hoped that she didn't come off as impudent. “But you gave me your reasons for helping us fulfill the prophecy. You didn't explain why you offered me sanctuary.”

“You haven't accepted it.”

“I know.” Filia turned away and stared at one of the nearby mountains. She saw the destruction that she and Shizuri had spotted earlier when approaching the mountains. She sighed and pressed a hand to her stomach. “I'm quite not sure what to think at the moment, Milgazia-san. I walked away from my temple several months ago knowing that there was a chance that I wouldn't be accepted back. I never dreamed that my elder would wish for my death.” She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Milgazia didn't say anything for a moment. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the battlefield where Lina Inverse had once fought Gaav, the Demon Dragon King. “The right thing. It changes based on the person you're talking to at the moment. What Valgaav and Almayce are doing…they feel that it is the right thing as well. In his own way, your Elder also believes he is doing the right thing. Everyone has their reasons for their actions. Some are for revenge. Some are for themselves or a small circle of loved ones. Others are doing it for the sake of everyone. What I've seen of your actions indicates that you are trying to do this for the sake of everyone.” He gave her a small smile. “You are more suited to being a priestess of Aqualord than of Flarelord, young Filia.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You remind me of someone I know.” With one last look at the ruined Claire Bible temple, Milgazia indicated a group of buildings. “It is late and tomorrow will be a very long day. You will sleep now. Think over my offer. I'll wait on your answer. You have bigger worries at the moment.”

——-

Filia and Shizuri stayed in a separate building reserved for the occasional human visitor. When they stepped into the small dining room the next afternoon, they found a whirlwind of chaos and destruction, along with scraps of food from what had once been a meal big enough to feed a small army.

In other words, Lina and Gourry had arrived.

“Did you not leave us anything?” Shizuri said in greeting, sitting across from them.

Lina bit into a sandwich. “A girl gets hungry when she's stuck up in the air for several hours flying.”

Gourry rested his head on his arms and his face, from what Filia could see, was about the same shade of green as the lettuce on Lina's sandwich. She smiled sympathetically at him. “You're still not doing any better with your flying, Gourry-san?” His reply was a strangled moan.

“C'mon, big guy,” Lina said, nudging a cup of tea toward him. “Here, drink that. It'll settle your stomach. I've already cast Recovery on you. We'll have Amelia look you over when she gets here.”

Gourry took the tea, stared into the cup, then bolted from the room.

“He made the mistake of eating breakfast before we came here,” Lina explained. “Memphis came just when we were going to head to Zefiel City. She didn't elaborate much on why she wanted us here. She left us to go get Amelia, Zel and Lyos. They should be here in a couple of hours.”

“You didn't have any luck with the weapon in Zefielia,” Shizuri commented.

“No. What's worse is that Jillas, the rotten little fox, got the Sword of Light.”

“What?” Shizuri and Filia shrieked. Filia's eyes flashed with anger. “Lina-san! How could you let the Sword of Light get away from you?”

“Hey!” Lina jabbed a finger at Filia. “I didn't exactly plan on this happening!” She told the two about the false wedding temple and how Jillas had knocked Gourry out with a sleeping powder. She omitted various details, namely everything that happened after Jillas took the weapon. “By the time I found Gourry, Jillas was long gone. I had to get the effects of the powder reversed, because I wasn't about to drag around a couple hundred pounds of dead-weight jellyfish.”

“Well, this is wonderful.” Filia lifted her hands and dropped them limply back in her lap. “We've got to go hunt down Jillas now with the weapon.”

“No, it means we've just got to get two weapons back from Valgaav when we face him,” Lina said. She shot Filia a nasty look that she hoped got the point across that she didn't want to talk about it any further. Her mood was already sour enough with the loss of the Sword of Light paired with Luna's interpretation of the prophecy.

Amelia, Zelgadiss and Lyos arrived about an hour later. They quickly consumed what remained of the food. Gourry, whose stomach had finally caught up to the rest of his body, even ate close to what he considered a normal meal. When they were finished, two dragons came in and cleared the tables. They told the group to stay, then Milgazia entered along with Memphis.

Lina stood and the two shook hands. He indicated for her to sit down, then walked around the table to stand between Filia and Shizuri. He placed several scrolls on the table in front of them. “We all know the reason why you're here, so I will pass with the formalities,” he began. “I have been aware for awhile about your search for the Darkstar weapons.”

Milgazia unrolled one of the scrolls and spread it out on the table. It showed an elaborate sketch of a dome-shaped building with a pillar in front of it. “This is the place where you will be headed to. It is in a frozen land in a part of the world that your tribe is hesitant to admit exists, Filia."

She traced her finger over the symbol sketched into the top part of the pillar and closed her eyes. I've seen this before somewhere, I'm sure of it.

Milgazia motioned to Memphis and she unrolled a second scroll in front of Lina. It turned out to be a map. Lina recognized the lands were once contained within the Mazoku barrier, everything beyond that was completely foreign to her. Memphis dipped a quill in ink, then circled a part of the map on the very southern end.

Filia leaned over to inspect it. “My temple would be located around here,” she said, and tapped a spot that was a good bit north of the place where Memphis had circled. “I wasn't aware that the Golden Dragons had built a temple so far out on the frontier.”

“That's because the temple wasn't built by the Golden Dragons.” Milgazia stared at Filia long and hard and silently waged an internal war he had constantly fought with himself since discovering the search for the Darkstar weapons. “This temple was built by a tribe of dragons known as Ancient Dragons.”

“Ancient Dragon?” Filia frowned up at him.

“That's what Valgaav is, isn't he?” Amelia spoke up. “He's an Ancient Dragon that somehow acquired Mazoku powers.”

“From Gaav most likely,” Lina confirmed.

“So, do Ancient Dragons still exist?” Lyos wondered.

“Well, they've got to if Valgaav's one of them,” Shizuri told him.

“But, I would had seen some before now if that was the case.” Filia turned back to Milgazia. “Did they go extinct during the Kouma Sensou? Did Xelloss wipe them out?”

He shook his head. “That I do not know. They are rather a reclusive race. The last I had heard of this tribe of dragons, it was shortly before the Mazoku barrier was erected. The Mazoku were turning their attention fully to Aqualord, because she was the most defiant out of all of Ceiphied's subordinates. As a young dragon, I accompanied an expedition to this very temple to seek assistance from the Ancient Dragons. They declined to help us, claiming that they wished to maintain neutrality. Unlike the Golden Dragons, which tend to align themselves to one of the gods, the Ancient Dragons either tend to worship no god or Ceiphied herself.”

“What were their reasons for not joining the war?” Zelgadiss asked.

Milgazia folded his hands in front of him. “They said that it would lead to the use of a weapon that was too powerful to ever be used. They feared that the balance of the world would be knocked askew. It was a weapon that had recently been discovered, but they had already done intensive research on it and realized it was an enormously powerful weapon. They were in the process of sealing away this weapon when we arrived. Aqualord had instructed us that if the Ancient Dragons did not wish to take part in the war, then we weren't to pressure them.”

Filia remembered something that her Elder had said when they had fought Valgaav at the Flarelord temple. “Aren't they a violent race to begin with?”

Milgazia closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Was this something that your Elder said?”

“Yes. He said that they were a detestable race and they had to be exterminated to save us all.”

“I can't agree with that. They gave us good hospitality and a brief respite from the war. We returned home with the promise that the Mazoku wouldn't come searching for them. They seemed to be, from what we saw, a very peaceful tribe.”

“Have they been exterminated?” Lyos asked.

“I don't know. If something happened to the race, it was after the barrier was erected.”

Lina tapped her fist to her chin. “If it's one of the Darkstar weapons and the Ancient Dragons sealed it away, that explains why its power couldn't be detected all these years. Whatever power Almayce detect was from the other weapons when the Mazoku barrier fell. What do you think?” she asked, directing a glance at Zelgadiss.

“It is definitely the most concrete location we have at this point for the weapon,” he said. “I think it's worth checking out. Maybe the Ancient Dragons will know something about the weapons, even if they don't have the last one.”

“All right then.”

“There is one other location you might wish to check.” Milgazia picked up a quill and circled an area in the center of the map. “This location. It is where I believe that strange pillar of light is coming from.”

“It certainly couldn't hurt,” Lina acknowledged. She glanced at Filia. “Feel up to stopping there? I think that pillar of light is connected to all of this as well.”

Filia nodded. “Yes, I agree. It could be nothing, or it could be where Valgaav or Almayce is. If we can find them and get the two weapons he has back, we'll be in very good shape.”

“Alright!” Greatly cheered, Lina sat back. “We'll leave in the morning!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we have everyone back together again, and some much-needed spotlight on Filia. At first, I was intending to shift everything regarding Valgaav's past, as well as what happened with the Ancient Dragons, to this chapter, but when I was rewatching TRY it just didn't work out very well. There was also another part to this chapter that sent it skyrocketing over 8,000 words. Since it goes off on a rather different tangent, I've turned it into the second Interlude chapter and it will be posted later this week. After the Interlude, we're going to be engaging in a good bit of action. And we'll finally see what Xelloss has been up to. Remember him?


	20. The Prophecy

Milgazia stood and nodded to them. “I invite you all to rest here for the night. We've a number of rooms that we maintain in case any unexpected human visitors arrive here. A holdout of the war, you can say, from when we had refugees hiding with us here in the mountains.”

Lina vaguely remembered hearing tales about that the last time they had come up to the Kataart Mountains. At one point during the Kouma Sensou, not long before Xelloss had been unleashed on the dragons, humans had fled into the mountains seeking sanctuary from those who worshipped the gods. It said a lot about the golden dragons that despite everything, they were willing to keep those rooms just in case.

“We have plenty of rooms for you. Memphis, tell Madeline that we need seven rooms prepared for our guests.”

“Six,” Lina automatically corrected, her mind still focused on all the information that Milgazia had just given them.

“No, that's not right, Lina-san,” Filia corrected her. “There's seven of us.”

“Yeah, but we only need six rooms,” Lina said dismissively. _I'm going to go ahead and take a look at that map. Maybe the fifth weapon is where the pillar of light is, but could it had been right beneath Valgaav's nose all along if it is his headquarters?_

“But if there's six rooms and seven people, then someone's…sharing…,” Amelia's voice trailed off as her eyes moved from a concentrating Lina to a half-asleep Gourry back to Lina. She clasped her hands over her mouth and gave a little squeak.

Lina startled, then frowned at her. “What are you doing, Amelia?”

“I think what the princess is trying to imply is that two of us are now sharing a room voluntairly,” Shizuri gave Lina a knowing smile.

“Huh?” For the first time, Lina realized what she had told Milgazia. “Wait a minute, wait a minute!”

“Yes!” Amelia cheered.

“Well, it was just a matter of time,” Zelgadiss acknowledged and coughed slightly, somewhat embarassed at the direction the conversation was turning.

“Hey, just because I asked for six rooms instead of seven doesn't mean a damn… _what are you doing?_ ” Lina screeched as everybody but Gourry and Milgazia gathered around the table, looking over a roll of parchment that Lyos had suddenly produced.

“Let's see, you were down for this… And Shizuri-san was down for that…” Amelia stood at the head of the table, quill in hand as she drew lines over a chart. “Zelgadiss-san, you had the 7th-13th, right?”

“I thought I had the 14th.”

“No, that went to Lyos-san. You had the 14th of next month.”

“Gourry.” Shizuri shook the swordsman until he was fully awake. “When did you and Lina have sex?”

Lina's jaw fell as Gourry looked up at the illusionist with sleepy eyes. “Last night, why?”

“Was it your first time?”

“Huh? Yeah…”

“ _Gourry!_ ”

Whatever remained of Gourry's sleepiness was quickly beaten out of him with Lina's slipper. “Ow, what was that for?” he yelped as she smacked his arm repeatedly with it.

She bared her teeth at him. “You just told all of our friends what we did last night!”

He gave her a matter-of-fact look that made her blood boil. “Well, they're going to find out anyways. We're sharing a room now.”

“Even so, you don't just share intimate details like that!”

“Well, I'm not going to lie to them.” Gourry folded his arms over his chest and pinned Lina with a steely gaze. “Lying's not a good thing and it won't make things better in the end. You lie enough for all of us.”

“I can't believe this! You just blurted out details of our _sex_ life and now you're lecturing me about lying?”

“Ah hah!” Amelia planted a finger on the parchment. “Filia-san wins the bet!”

“You were _betting_ on when Gourry and I were going to sleep together?”

“Thanks, Amelia-san!” Filia happily accepted a pouch of coins from the princess. “It won't begin to cover the costs of feeding everyone, but at least we'll have enough to keep us going for awhile.”

“Well, it did help that Daddy tossed in some money as well.”

“ _Prince Phil_ betted on us?”

“Uh huh,” Amelia said, not bothering to look up from the list. “Let's see, the five of us, Daddy and Sylphiel-san.”

Lina moaned and turned her permanently red face to the ceiling. _Well it could had been worse… Sis or my parents would had joined it had they known about it._ She started to imagine using all of her friends for fireball practice.

“Okay, so who's in for the next stage?”

“I'm in.” Shizuri tossed some coins on the table in front of Amelia. “Are we doing dates by random draw or should we block out weeks like we did this last one?”

“Random draw of weekly blocks is probably best for this one,” Amelia said, chewing on the end of the quill thoughtfully. “After all, I'm not quite sure when he'll get around to asking her. Lyos-san, can you take that blank parchment, write out dates in weekly increments for the next year in little squares, cut them up and put them in that empty bowl over there?”

“I'm on it, princess!”

“This is Gourry we're talking about,” Zelgadiss said, placing some coins next to the ones Shizuri contributed. “I'm in on the stipulation that Lina does the asking.”

_Asking? Next stage?_ Lina's mind worked frantically before it hit. “Oh no! You're not betting on _that_!”

“Too late!” Amelia said cheerfully and accepted a bid from Lyos.

“Say, does that cover years, princess? I don't think these weekly blocks'll cover it.”

“Lyos-san, that's really not a fair thing to insinuate.”

“Excuse me.” Lina whirled around to see Milgazia standing in the doorway to the room. He inclined his head slightly. “I wanted to let you know that your rooms are ready and to ask a question.”

“Certainly, Milgazia-san,” Lina replied, grateful for the change of topic.

Milgazia approached the table. “I overheard your conversation and I want to know if I can be included.” He dropped a small pouch of money on the table in front of Amelia.

Lina sank lower into her chair.

“Hey, can I be in on it?”

Everyone's attention swung to Gourry, who had his own money pouch out. He fished out five gold pieces and dropped them on Amelia's parchment. “There you go!”

“Ah, Gourry, do you realize what this betting pool is for?”

Gourry grinned at Zelgadiss. “To see when Lina and I get engaged.”

No one said a word for a moment. Then Amelia gave a business-like nod. “We'll draw your dates for you, Gourry-san.”

“Thanks!”

Lina fled from the room. She had no wish to stick around in case they began planning a wedding and the number of kids she was planning to have. Beyond mortified, she took the chance to kick at every door she passed while growling beneath her breath about the fun she was going to have using certain friends and jellyfish for target practice when she got a chance.

One of the dragons showed her to the room that she was sharing with Gourry. Once the door was closed behind her, she opened the Astral plane pocket where she kept hers and Gourry's things and pulled out their bags. She tossed his on a chair and started rooting through her own for pajamas. A door led to a surprisingly modern bathroom and Lina was grateful that Milgazia made sure that the dragons kept up with human technology. There was even running water, which greatly pleased her. She ran a bath and soaked until her skin had turned pink and wrinkly.

She walked out of the bathroom, running a towel through her hair, and was surprised to see that Gourry hadn't returned to the room. She tossed the towel into a chair and brushed out her hair. She yawned, getting a little sleepy. The bath had done a lot for relieving her anger and, had it been Zelgadiss and Amelia they were betting on, she would had been the first to lay a wager. An evil idea popped into Lina's head and she shot herself a most evil grin in the mirror. What's to say she couldn't start her own betting pool on a certain chimera and princess? She dropped her brush and went to find parchment and ink.

Gourry found her sprawled on the bed, an elaborate chart drawn out. He let out a breath when she didn't immediately start lobbing fireballs at him and started to change. “Whatcha doing?” he asked as he pulled his shirt off.

“Oh, let's say I'm going to get revenge on a certain chimera and princess, especially the princess. Want to join a betting pool on when they'll…,” Lina looked up and she promptly forgot whatever she'd been about to say as her mouth went dry at the sight of her shirtless jellyfish.

“They'll what?” Gourry moved his bag out of the chair and sat down to pull off his boots.

“Ah, you'll hear about it in the morning.” Lina tossed the parchment aside as a warm, heavy feeling started to form in the pit of her stomach, then spread through the lower part of her body. Well, if everyone was expecting them to get on with things, might as well live up to their expectations. She started to get up, ideas forming in her head, grateful that the Recovery spell had fixed up the soreness she had experienced the night before.

Gourry didn't say anything. He hunched over slightly and seemed to be staring at the ground very intently. Then he looked up, giving her such a serious look that thoughts of seduction quickly fled. “Is something wrong, Lina?”

She sat on the edge of the bed and tried to ignore the nerves that replaced the nice, warm, feeling of arousal she'd been feeling. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, you've been acting odd today.” Gourry worried his lip, looking like he was trying to puzzle things out for himself. “You were acting really odd last night too, with you crying and everything.”

“Gourry, I don't want to talk about it,” she said in a low, dangerous voice that she prayed got the point across to him. What he wanted to talk about was strictly off-limits.

“It'll help you to talk about it,” he told her in a matter-of-fact tone that set her teeth on edge. “You've been acting really strange all day. You haven't fought me for food and you didn't try to blow up the temple after finding out about the bets.”

“You didn't help matters either,” Lina growled through gritted teeth.

“So, you need to talk about it.” Gourry folded his arms over his chest and sat back in the chair. “We're not leaving this room until you do.”

“Okay, fine.” Lina crossed her legs and pinned him with an equally steely glare.

They glared at each other for a good five minutes, barely blinking as they waited for the other to break first. Lina rested her head in her hands and thought about how she could get Gourry to stand down. Then she grinned. “So,” she said in a casual voice, “you plan to sit there all night and wait for me?”

“That's right.”

“And not leave the room?”

“That's right.”

“Okay.” Lina stood and stretched, making sure to thrust her chest forward slightly. Might as well use the assets that you have. She spotted a water pitcher and several glasses on the dresser and crossed over. “You know, it has been a really long day.”

“Yeah, it has,” he agreed and for the first time she could hear the weariness in his voice. She ignored it and reached for a glass.

“We spent several hours getting here, then we got a little break before spending all of those hours with Milgazia-san going over those memories. Not even one tiny break. Then we had that big, absolutely divine dinner that lasted awhile.” Lina turned, glass and pitcher in hand. “The dragons have wonderful wine here, but you stuck to tea. How many cups of tea did you have, Gourry?”

He started to look a little pale and, to her delight, looked like he was squirming a bit. “Several,” he admitted.

“Then we all sat around after dinner and I'm sure you had something to drink then as well after I went back to the room. Probably a few more cups of tea, right?” Lina flashed him a beautiful smile, held the pitcher in front of him and poured water into the glass.

Gourry bolted.

Lina quickly abandoned the glass and pitcher and hopped into bed. Moments later Gourry stepped out of the bathroom and scowled at her. “That was pretty low, Lina.”

She ignored him, pressed her eyes shut and tried to count sheep.

“You're not sleeping, Lina.”

“How can I sleep when there's jellyfish yelling at me?”

“I'm not yelling!”

“Yes, you are!” Shizuri's voice came through one of the walls.

“Shut it, Shizuri!” Lina yelled.

“Look, why do I have to get put next to the bickering couple?” Lyos' voice came through the other wall.

Lina growled, sat up and cast a room silencing spell similar to the one Rezo had used years earlier to hide the sounds of battle. When she didn't hear anymore of Shizuri's smart remarks or Lyos's complaining, she glared at Gourry. “Happy?”

“Yeah.” He plopped back down in the chair. “Now that I'm sure you can't distract me using that particular method again…”

“We're still not talking about it. If you keep bringing it up, you're going to be sleeping on the top of the mountain tonight.”

Lina was prepared for yelling. She wasn't prepared for the crestfallen look that Gourry gave her. It tore something deep inside of her as he looked at her with eyes so sad that it made her throat clog. He sighed and got up. “I'll go ask Milgazia-san for another room.”

“Wait a minute!” Lina tossed the covers aside. “What the hell are you doing?”

He gave her another mournful look as he reached the door and she felt like she had just kicked a defenseless kitten. He pushed a hand through his hair and suddenly looked very weary. “I thought you trusted me, Lina.”

“I do trust you! What the hell makes you think that I wouldn't trust you?”

“You've always talked to me before. Why won't you talk now?”

“It's no use,” Lina said, sitting back on the bed. She closed her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands to them. “It's no use because talking about it isn't going to change anything. I don't want to talk about it, because then it'll be real and there'll be no turning back from it. I have to go through with it and…I'm afraid,” she admitted.

Gourry didn't say anything and she sighed, feeling the resistance drain from her. “You'll find out anyhow. You've got to promise not to blabber any of this to anyone, got it?”

He nodded and sat next to her. She drew in a deep breath and told him everything that Luna had told her the day before regarding the prophecy. He didn't say anything for a long time and for a moment, Lina was afraid that she had overloaded his brain. He leaned forward, drummed his fingers against his knee, then looked up at her.

“So, this is really no different from the other times you've nearly gone and gotten yourself blown up.”

Lina threw up her hands. “No, it means if my sister is right, I will definitely get myself blown up no matter what we do.”

“No, she said you _might_. There's a difference. But it's really not anything different than we've done before.”

“Yes, it is!” Lina jumped up and began to pace. “Don't you see, Gourry? Every other time, it's been my decision to face the things we have. Now I've got some stupid prophecy ordering me around!”

Gourry tilted his head to one side. “Well, if there wasn't a prophecy, wouldn't you still stop Valgaav?”

“Of course!”

“Well, there's your answer!” Gourry slapped his knee and stood. He ruffled her hair fondly and went hunting for his pajamas. “After all, it's not like something such as that has stopped you before,” he commented as he changed.

Lina stared after him, jaw sagging. _No, the answer couldn't be that simple, could it?_ She thought it over and realized that he was absolutely right. If the exact same thing had come up and she had not ever heard of the prophecy, she would still be doing the same thing. She would still do what it took to stop Darkstar from being summoned and to get Valgaav off her back. Prophecy or no, he still wanted to kill her for what had happened to Gaav. The prophecy had brought Filia to her, but even without it, everything would had still happened.

She crossed to Gourry, wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her cheek to his back and felt the incredible burden lift from her shoulders. “Thanks,” she whispered.

He smiled and patted her hands. “We've been through worse, haven't we? I'm sure that no matter what happens, you'll be fine. You always are.”

She laughed a bit bitterly. “Seems like things keep coming to chase us down over and over again. Wonder if we'll ever have a normal life?”

“This isn't normal?”

She laughed at his surprised tone and it felt good. “I think I'll keep you around, you're good for a laugh,” she said, dropping her hold and slipping into bed. When he joined her, she smiled at him. “You really made me feel better. I may let you have the first dibs at breakfast tomorrow. I'll wait a whole five…no, two…no, one minute for you to go first.”

“Well, well,” he murmured, “that's quite generous of you.”

“I said I _may_. There's a difference,” she replied saucily.

“I think I'll have my breakfast now.” Before she could react, he flipped and pinned her to the mattress. The kiss was slow and gentle and she wound her arms around his neck as they gently explored each other.

He broke off the kiss, then lightly pressed his lips to her forehead before pulling back to look at her. “Are you… Is it…”

She laughed. “I told you this morning, it won't hurt. I used a healing spell and I'm fine. Here,” she said with a seductive smile, “let me prove that it doesn't.” She started to shift their bodies so she could straddle him, but he resisted.

“No, wait,” he said and she could detect a slight tightness in his voice. “Let me do it. Please.”

For the first time she could see it, the worry that he did his best to keep behind a cheerful mask. It moved something deep inside of her that he was expressing these emotions. The last time she had seen those shields drop was shortly before she went to the Tower of Wind and he had looked at her with such concern that part of her hadn't wanted to go after Airlord's power at all. She lifted a hand and ran it through his bangs. “You really are worried for me, aren't you?”

Gourry gave her a tight smile. “A little bit,” he admitted.

Lina gave him a cocky grin. “You worry too much.”

“Sometimes, I don't think you worry enough.”

“You were the one who just proceeded to snap me out of a funk after I spent more than a day moping over the fact that my sister tried to predict my death. I'm going to be fine,” she said, and she actually believed it. She _was_ going to be fine and they were going to get out of this alive. There was no other option.

She pulled his head down to hers and they kissed again, the deeper and a little more urgent. His hand slipped down to lightly cover her breast and she arched into his palm. He rewarded her by lightly pinching her nipple through the thin material cover it and she whimpered slightly into his mouth. He reached for the hem of her pajama top and she helped him pull it off. His hand returned to what it was previously doing as she cupped his face between her hands and kissed him deeply. Her legs splayed open to accomodate him and she felt his hardness resting against her lower stomach.

It was still a little new and slightly scary, the amount of feeling they could evoc from each other just through touch. She hadn't expected their activities the previous night to have gone as well as they had gone. She'd been prepared to be uncomfortable and expect some amount of pain. And while the pain had happened, she had developed a joy out of seeing him reach fulfillment and it didn't matter that she hadn't done so herself that first time. The second was a different story completely as he had done his best to use his lips and tongue to create an experience that paled their experimenting a few months earlier.

_Which reminds me…_ Lina struggled to think as the question that she had wanted to ask shortly before drifting off to sleep the previous night came back. “Gourry?”

“Hmmm?” His lips were on his throat and that one busy hand of his had moved beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms. She felt his fingers brush against the curls shielding the apex of her thighs and knew she had to ask it fast.

“Hey, stop for a moment. Wait a minute.” She pulled her neck until it was out of his reach and he looked up at her with hooded, hungry eyes. She swallowed to clear her mind. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

“Learn what?”

She blushed. “You know… _that._ ”

Gourry gave her a disbelieving look. “Well, when a man and a woman want to express their love for each other, sometimes they have certain feelings…”

She rolled her eyes. “I think we're past the point where we need to discuss the birds and the bees. I mean, I want to know how you learned to do well.. _that_. Not basic sex, geez you can learn that by seeing animals rut in a barnyard. Where did you learn how to… you know. Touch. Do that other stuff.” _Don't make me spell it out. You're going to make me spell it out, aren't you?_

Gourry hung his head for a moment and Lina was convinced he'd forgotten. She was about ready to give up on it completely when he looked up and she saw that the color of his face could very well rival the shade of her hair. “I…um…got it from a book,” he whispered.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

He pulled away from her and went to his bag. She propped herself on one elbow as he rummaged through his things, a bit pleased to see to see the embarassment. He turned back to her and she immediately recognized the thin red book he held in his hands. “Say, isn't that from the Shrigan Library? I thought it was some type of swordsmanship book.”

“Not really. It's umm… It's a book about sex.” Gourry handed it to her and Lina was instantly treated to pages of detailed diagrams and descriptions on technique. She paged through it. It wasn't just sexual positions, but also talked about kissing, foreplay and different types of sex. There was even a chapter dedicated to solo sex.

“I can't believe you stole a book about sex from the library!” Greatly amused, Lina flipped onto her stomach and went back to the beginning.

“It looked interesting and I was bored. And well… I figured we were going to… you know.” Now he was stuttering nearly as bad as she had been. “I was going to give it back! We left in such a hurry and I forgot it was in my bag until we were on the way to Zefielia.”

“Hush.” She waved him off as she started reading about kissing technique.

“Maybe we should get some sleep.” Gourry reached for the book and Lina twisted away from him. He made another grab for the book and she snarled at him. He sighed and turned away from her. Maybe it was better that they got some sleep. His stomach rolled at the thought of spending a day in the air…again. He'd do his best not to think about it.

When he heard the book suddenly hit the floor seconds before Lina climbed on top of him and started demonstrating her newfound knowledge, he lost the ability to think at all.

——-

Much later, she sprawled on top of him, their bodies still cooling from her “demonstrations.” His mind started to drift and he thought over what she had told him about the prophecy. He frowned, something about it nagging at the back of his mind. “Say, Lina?”

“Hmm?” she yawned and snuggled closer to him.

“Aren't prophecies just a guess?”

“Essentially, yes, though they tend to be well-educated guesses.” She traced light circles on his chest and wondered why they hadn't been intimate like this sooner. “A prophecy isn't like guessing what the weather's going to be like tomorrow. Well, I suppose it is, but on a different scale.”

Gourry didn't say anything for awhile and Lina thought he had fallen asleep. She rested her head on his chest and was nearly asleep herself when he spoke. “But don't people predict the weather differently?”

“Hmm?” she replied sleepily.

“Well, when I was in the war, we'd have different commanders insisting the weather was going to be different for the next day. One said that his knee ached, so that meant rain. Another said that he had this book telling him the weather for each day of the year…”

“An almanac.”

“Yeah, one of those. That commander insisted the next day would be clear.”

She yawned and began tracing circles over his chest again. “Do you remember who was right?”

“No, not really.”

“Eh, not surprised there.”

“Maybe you could ask Filia and Shizuri what they think the prophecy means. Weren't they fighting about it when we were looking for the Sword of Light?”

Lina bit her lip. She hadn't really planned on making this public knowledge, but it really wouldn't hurt to ask them what they each thought the prophecy meant. She smiled, relaxed and patted his chest. “Knew I kept you around for a reason.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Interlude came about while driving around towns doing errands. I'd been wanting to do a betting pool like this for ages. For those afraid that this is out of character for Amelia - she is the one who wanted to get Zel out of the area so Lina and Gourry could spend time by themselves after Seigram's attack. Also, in the sixth novel, she expressed disappointment when she and Xelloss learned that Lina and Gourry weren't going to engage in euphemistic sword practice. Some hints of this was shown back in the Shrigan chapters and the bets placed there.
> 
> Some other novel nods - one of Gourry's lines is taken directly from the fourth novel and that entire scene about his discovery of the prophecy is based off the scene the line is taken from. When Gourry says that line, it always reminds me of Roarke in J.D. Robb's "In Death" series. I suddenly get a flash of Roarke standing there with Lina instead of Gourry. Other banter in here pays homage to the sixth novel.


	21. A Breakdown in Negotiations

Six days after their trip began, Lina opened her eyes and saw grey skies through the small gap in the tent flap. She turned onto her back and pushed her hair out of her face. This trip had been absolutely miserable, with the group waylaid by thunderstorms for a good bit of it. Filia kept having to stop and she didn't want to fly so high that they would risk passing out due to the high altitude.

The pillar of light was getting closer and Filia estimated that they would reach the island that Milgazia had indicated on their map later in the day if the weather didn't stop them. That cheered her enough to where she sat up and started to shake Gourry awake.

Then she suddenly clutched her lower abdomen and curled into a ball.

She didn't hear him call out her name and barely noticed when he left the tent. When she looked up, she saw him and Amelia staring down at her, both of their faces lined with worry. “Geez, Gourry, you didn't have to drag Amelia in here.”

“Gourry-san said you looked like you're sick.” Amelia scanned her friend and noticed where her hands were. “But it looks like you have cramps instead.”

“Yeah. Wasn't prepared for them. I swear, whoever came up with those is going to get fireballed if I ever see him.”

Amelia nodded. That was a sentiment she could agree with completely. She handed the mug of herbal tea she brought with her to Lina. “Do you want me to cast Recovery on you?”

“Nah, I'll live.” Lina pulled herself into a sitting position and managed a wan smile for Gourry, whose face had gone pale. “Don't look like I'm about to keel over. It takes more than that time of month to do in Lina Inverse!”

“That time of month? Is it suppose to hurt that much?”

“Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. It depends on how much my body hates me this month.” Lina sipped at the tea, relieved that Gourry wasn't asking her the specifics. Then again, he had had the pleasure of traveling with a group of women for a good four years. He had quickly learned that “that time of month” didn't just involve losing magic. Of course, he shouldn't had been eavesdropping on a conversation during their first round of travels when Lina, Amelia and Sylphiel had gathered in a small cluster and vented about that particular aspect of their lives. Gourry had heard enough to where he had begun asking questions and, in a fit of anger, Lina had bluntly told him exactly what “that time of month” entailed for women. For the next three days, Gourry could barely look any of them in the eye and when he did, his face had turned a distinctive shade of green.

“How come I hadn't noticed before?” he asked.

Lina started to reply, remembered that Amelia was there and clamped her mouth shut. She quickly turned her attention to getting her clothes out of her bags.

Amelia grinned when she noticed her friend's red cheeks. “I believe that what Lina-san is too embarrassed to say is that she wasn't sharing a bed with you last month, Gourry-san. Therefore, you wouldn't notice.”

“Yeah, but Lina complains an awful lot.”

“Even so, not even Lina-san really complains about this.”

“Hello, I'm in the same vicinity, people!” Lina glared at Amelia and Gourry. “Would you kindly stop the character assassination until I'm out of earshot?” She sat back on her heels. “In any case, what about you? We've been consistent the past few months.”

Amelia nodded. “I noticed the signs when I got up this morning as well. I think I've got two days before it begins.”

“Yeah, the same,” Lina sighed. “We're going to be sidelined for several days until we get our magic back. I hope we can reach that island today as Filia predicted. If not, we're going to be in trouble. Gourry, Zel and Lyos shouldn't have any problems protecting us and I don't think that Filia has the same problems we do regarding that time of month. Shizuri's illusions don't seem to be affected by it.”

Amelia bit her lip. She knew what Lina was saying in a roundabout way. If they went up against Valgaav and was forced to rely on the Ragna Blade or Airlord's power, they wouldn't be able to do so until Lina got her magic back. If any of them got seriously injured, only Amelia knew how to cast Resurrection in their group. She grinned at Lina. “Well, we're just going to have to do our best and get to the island today. Justice is on our side, Lina-san!”

\-----

The island they saw the pillar of light coming from was very pretty. A gorgeous white-sand beach ringed the small amount of land and a lush forest extended toward a very small mountain chain. At the top was a tower consisting of a straight column of rock jutting into the sky. The pillar of light extended from the top of the tower. The bad weather had broken up, leaving a clear sky that stretched into the horizon. Lina took it as a sign of luck as they flew up to the base of the tower and started to look for access into it.

“There has to be something in there producing that light,” she told Zelgadiss as they explored. “I don't think it's the result of a naturally occurring phenomena.”

“When the pillar first appeared, I did some research into some of the ways that it could happen naturally,” he replied. “But I'm of the same mind as you with this. The timing is too coincidental to when the Mazoku barrier fell. Granted, it didn't happen until after you went to Kunan, but...”

“But it fits in with the story of Almayce looking for the weapons.” Lina started to say something else, but stopped when she heard a shout from Lyos. She glanced over and saw him waving Banisher in the air, trying to get their attention. She and Zelgadiss sprinted over the rocks to his side and noticed that he had found a deep cave that extended into the tower. The rest of the group quickly gathered. Lina produced a ball of mage light and led the way into the cave.

"Is this it?" Amelia whispered as they emerged from the cave into a huge chamber. Strange carvings patterned the walls and huge chunks of stalactite dangled above their heads. Statues jutted from the stone walls, carved into faces that Lina didn't recognize. A ladder carved into the stone stretched to the top of the chamber, where a circular glass dome capped the building. Light shone through the glass and Lina guessed that a hole was cut into the glass.

Zelgadiss approached the stone and ran his hand down it. "It doesn't appear to be that old."

Lyos approached the pillar of light and closed his eyes. He stretched his hand toward the light and on his back, Banisher vibrated. He turned back to Lina. "You feel it?"

"Some sort of strong energy," Lina acknowledged and pulled off her right glove. The Airlord emblem on the back of her hand glowed slightly. She held it up for the rest of the group to see. “It's connected to the gods in a way. I'm wondering if we found Almayce's base. Zel and I were talking about the timing of when the pillar of light appeared and if Almayce's story he told us awhile back is all true, it coincides with his search for the weapons.”

“It seems that your observations, as they so often are, are correct, Lina-san.”

Lina placed a hand on her hip as Xelloss faded into view between herself and Amelia. “Xelloss! Just where have you been for the past couple of months?”

He flashed her a winning smile. “You've missed me! I'm very touched, Lina-san, very touched indeed. I had some tedious tasks to perform and simply couldn't get away from them, not to mention that I took a brief respite after my last engaging conversation with Amelia-san.”

Lina caught Zelgadiss's eye and the corner of his mouth quirked slightly. Amelia had filled the chimera in on the justice speech she'd given Xelloss after their battle at the Flarelord temple.

Filia let out an unladylike snort and in response, Xelloss made a courtly bow. “Filia-san, isn't it? It's wonderful to see you again. Tell me, how was Milgazia-san?”

Filia growled and stalked over to him, hands clenched into fists. “I see that your so-called work includes spying on me! Tell me, are you ever actually useful?”

Xelloss tapped a finger to his chin. “And who was it who got you out of your temple alive when your own elder wanted to kill you? I figured you would be a bit more grateful about that.”

“I could never be grateful to a _Mazoku_ , especially you!”

“In any case,” Xelloss said, turning his attention back to Lina, “if this is Almayce's base, we'd better hurry and find him or Valgaav. They might have reformed their alliance in the time you've been gone.”

Shizuri mimicked Lina's earlier pose. “So, you've apparently spent the last couple of months tracking our movements, but haven't seen it fit to investigate this location for yourself? It seems that the Mazoku race is dreadfully inefficient.”

“I only follow orders, Shizuri-san.”

“Okay, we can ream Xelloss out about this as we're investigating this tower,” Lina ordered. She motioned to an opening on the other side of the main room. “Let's start there.”

\-----

Valgaav cried out in pain as the partially-formed dragon limb throbbed beneath his hand. The medicines he'd been using to block out the pain had run out and Gravos had disappeared after he'd rescued Jillas. There was no one able to help him and he had to rely on Jillas to continue the weapon search in his name after being sidelined.

Only one thing helped with the immense pain. He reached out and willed his claw to wrap around the twisted wood that made up the staff of Razud Mezegis. He picked it up, the light blades automatically emerging as the weapon channeled his willpower. He closed his eyes and felt the power flow through him, much like it had felt when Gaav had taken him in long ago and had given his powers so he could survive. A look of bliss passed over Valgaav's face as the almost unbearable pleasure dulled the pain.

_Just you wait... I'll end everything here. Lina Inverse. Almayce. Whoever stands in my way. What Gaav-sama has started won't be left unfinished!_ Valgaav threw back his head, giving an orgasmic scream as wings ripped from his back and spread through the room.

\-----

“Well, here's a cliche,” Lyos proclaimed as the group reached an intersection in the maze of chambers. Three different hallways split off from the main one. “We're gonna need to split up.”

Lina surveyed the group. There was definitely enough to where they could split up. “Shizuri and Lyos, take the left. Zel and Amelia, keep going straight. Gourry, Filia, Xelloss and I will go right. If any of you find something, signal immediately.”

Everyone nodded and immediately split off. Lina, Gourry, Filia and Xelloss ran down the middle hallway until they reached a second split. Lina hesitated and looked at Filia and Xelloss. Sending them off together as a group would be a disaster waiting to happen and would most likely involve a fight that would eat up valuable time.

“Which way do we go?” Gourry asked.

Filia smirked, then yanked her mace out from beneath her skirts. She slammed it into the ground and hunched over it, moving her hands in an intricate motion. Lina rolled her eyes. She had little use for that so-called prediction method that she'd seen Sylphiel use as well.

“Do all the priestesses in this world use that prediction method?” Xelloss asked.

“Shut up,” Filia snarled, then with a grunt, pressed her hands out flat.

The mace didn't budge.

Gourry rubbed his chin and stared at it, fascinated. “Wow, it didn't fall. It's suppose to fall, I think.”

“Gourry-san has a point. Maybe Filia-san should knock it over,” Xelloss suggested.

Filia leaped to her feet and gave the mace a swift, hard kick, imagining that it was Xelloss' annoying face that she was attacking. The mace wobbled, then fell to the ground indicating the left tunnel.

“The prophecy has been made!” Filia declared, pointing toward the left tunnel. “The Sword of Light is this way!”

“It is?” Lina asked in a dubious voice.

“It's that way! The gods have said so!” Filia grabbed Lina's arm and proceeded to pull her down the hallway. Gourry shrugged and started to follow.

They never noticed that Xelloss wasn't with them.

\-----

“Hang on a minute, Shizuri,” Lyos called out as they reached a series of intricate chambers. He swung Banisher off his back and used the sword to carve an X into one of the walls. “We're gonna keep doubling back if we don't use some sort of marker.”

“Good idea,” Shizuri said with approval. “Though I hope the walls hold up if we keep marking them this way.”

“Well, you don't have any sort of spell that could mark these walls, do you?”

Shizuri shook her head. “My speciality is illusional magic. I know enough of the basic spells, but nothing to make a marker. It's a start.” She ruffled Lyos' hair and he rolled his eyes at her. She laughed. “Being around boys your age is so much fun. They hate attention.”

“It's not like you're that much older than me!” Lyos retorted as they started running through the tunnels. “You're what, 20?”

“Try 26.” Shizuri flashed a grin at him. “You're 17 now, right? Hard to believe we've been around each other for a year.”

“It really doesn't seem that long,” Lyos admitted as he thought back to when he first discovered Lina Inverse washed up onto a beach in Kunan. He shrugged. “Suppose it has been.”

They reached a dead end and stopped. Shizuri raised an eyebrow. “You seem kind of agitated lately.”

“I dunno.” Lyos stared at the wall. “Sometimes, I wonder why I agreed to come here with Lina. Exploring her continent's been pretty cool, but I was kind of hoping to talk to that Milgazia guy. You know, learn more about Aqualord and all. I know I've been around it all my life, but I've never seen dragons worship it. But he was more focused on Filia and we were in and out of there so fast, there wasn't a chance.”

Shizuri laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You know what might be good?”

“What's that?”

“Lina said her sister's the Knight of Ceiphied. That means that apparently she's got the same sort of power in her that you do as Knight of Aqualord. Maybe when we're done with this, we can talk Lina into going back to Zefielia and we can go talk to her. If anyone would know how to grow as a Knight, it'd be her.”

Lyos's eyes lit up. “I didn't think of that!”

“Didn't think you would. Your mind's been too full of a certain priestess,” Shizuri said teasingly and grinned at the resulting blush from the young swordsman. “It's good for you to think of girls in that manner. I like Sylphiel. It wouldn't hurt you to go spend a little more time with her as well. You may not think you came here for a reason, but they're developing as they go along. Once we're done helping Lina, she'll help you to realize your goals. She hasn't forgotten you.”

Lyos didn't say anything for a few moments. But he knew that Shizuri was right. He admired Lina and Gourry both, though he sometimes wanted to throttle both of them. Back in their home among their friends, it almost felt like he was being left behind. He sighed and heaved Banisher off his shoulder. “Let's keep going.”

He cleaved his sword into the wall and the bricks fell away, revealing a post with an X carved into it. Shizuri and Lyos exchanged tired looks. “Well, this is where we were before,” she said. “It only means one thing.”

Lyos pressed a hand to his forehead. “We're completely lost. So, what now?”

Shizuri shrugged. “Who knows? Going back the way we came is our best bet. We can take the straight tunnel and catch up to Zelgadiss and Amelia.”

The sound of moving stone quickly caught their attention and they whirled around to see a slab being pushed up and aside. Moments later, a fox's head emerged from the newly made hole and Shizuri and Lyos gaped as Jillas climbed into the room, Sword of Light in hand.

He didn't see them at first, not until he turned around. He let out a squeak and scurried away from them.

“Oh no you don't! _Golem Illuminus!_ ” Shizuri extended her hand and a beam of white light shot down the tunnel. Jillas ducked under the ray of light, then screamed as the spell hit the wall and turned two more posts into equally huge golems. He landed on his rear, crawling backwards as fast as he could until he bumped into Lyos.

Lyos hauled Jillas to his feet. “Looks like we got ourselves a prize, Shizuri!”

“Perfect! Hang on, I believe I remember how to cast this spell. _Rafahs Seed!_ ” She held up the index finger of one hand, placed the index finger of the other hand on top of it and drew it away from the first finger. Magical ropes appeared around Jillas's body and tightened, preventing the fox from moving.

Shizuri picked up the Sword of Light. “We've got a certain swordsman who'll be pretty happy to see this.”

Jillas glared at them. “Don't assume you've won. I never forget a grudge. You will pay for this one day.”

“That's what they all say,” Lyos said and let Jillas unceremoniously drop to the ground. He grabbed one end of the rope. “Let's go find Lina and the others.”

\-----

Zelgadiss and Amelia's path took them down a straight tunnel. But instead of it splitting off, it grew narrower with a light emitting from one end of it. They stopped a few feet away from the light and glanced at each other. Zelgadiss drew his sword and moved to guard Amelia. They reached the end of the tunnel and stepped through a doorway into a much larger chamber, close to the size of the original room they had discovered when first entering the tower.

The floor was a bronze color with shapes and words in a strange alphabet carved into the stone. Across the room stood a large chair that was empty. Large gears were suspended from the walls and ticked off the seconds.

Zelgadiss walked over to the wall and ran his hand down it. He closed his eyes and tried to mentally chart where they were in his head. They weren't in the chamber directly beneath the main one, they had come too far for it. A separate base of operations, he wondered. Maybe some sort of war room. Perhaps”Â¦

“Zelgadiss-san!”

He whirled around and saw the edge of Amelia's cape through a second doorway. “Amelia!” he called out, racing across the room at the fear in her voice. He skidded to a stop when he saw what she did - a gigantic glass dome filled with liquid with a huge being suspended in the middle.

“Who is that?” Zelgadiss wondered.

“He's called Almayce. He's the guy from the Overworld that we fought at Flarelord temple.” Amelia motioned to the right side of his body and Zelgadiss noticed that the being lacked an arm. “That's where Lina-san hacked off his arm with the Ragna Blade after he nearly killed Gourry-san.” She crept closer to the dome. “Is he dead?”

“Don't know. Probably not if someone's gone to the trouble of preserving him like this.” Zelgadiss turned his back on Almayce. “We're wasting time by lingering here. Let's keep looking for Valgaav. From what you were saying, their alliance was pretty shattered anyhow.”

“Perhaps,” Amelia said and considered what Almayce had told Valgaav. He had mentioned that he was finishing the work that Valgaav was unable to do, but never said they were parting ways. Then again, Almayce had eagerly offered Valgaav in exchange for one of the Darkstar weapons. She joined Zelgadiss. “I suppose you're right. If they're no longer allies, then I wouldn't expect Valgaav to be here anymore.”

“Hopefully we can track down where the Sword of Light is soon,” Zelgadiss replied.

“Gorun Nova has been stolen?”

Zelgadiss and Amelia whirled around and discovered that the being in the dome had his eye open. He stared down at the two of them, remembering Amelia from the Flarelord temple battle.

Zelgadiss moved to shield Amelia once more. “What's it to you?”

Almayce closed his eye slowly, then reopened it. “If Valgaav gets his hands on Gorun Nova, he will summon Darkstar to this place.”

\-----

Valgaav hunched over Razud Mezegis. The pain was growing worse, much worse. It was getting hard to breathe, to even think about that basic act. But his senses were still sharp and his eyes immediately shifted when he detected the new prescence in his chambers. A grimace not brought on by internal agony crossed his face. “Xelloss,” he bit out.

Xelloss gave Valgaav a long, considering look. “It would seem that your dragon powers are causing you a great deal of pain.”

“That's stating the obvious,” Valgaav grumbled. He tightened his hold on Razud Mezegis and started to get up, but Xelloss quickly held up a hand.

“My, my, you are spoiling to get into a battle today, aren't you? Unfortunately, I haven't come to fight you. I'm here to make a deal with you, to finish what Gaav started a long time ago.” Xelloss's eyes narrowed into slits. “I've been ordered to bring you fully onto the Mazoku's side.”

Valgaav gave Xelloss an incredious look. He threw back and laughed long and hard. When he was able to speak, he pressed his good hand to his stomach. “Why the hell would you even want me?”

Xelloss lifted a hand and shrugged. “It seems like we're having a bit of a talent shortage lately. One of the pieces of Shabranigdu, Gaav, Phibrizzo, Rikufalso and Hureika... We've seem to have lost quite a few people in the last couple of years due to extenuating circumstances.”

“And how many of those extenuating circumstances happen to be named Lina Inverse?”

Xelloss inclined his head. “Point made. Thanks to Lina-san's most efficient”Â¦work, you shall say, the Overworld's battle against Darkstar has become a very important matter to the Mazoku. For what purposes I can't say at this time. I'm here to offer you a full pardon for the crimes you've committed in the past and compensation for your services.”

Valgaav narrowed his eyes. “And that would be?”

“Your greatest wish fulfilled. You wish the death of the person who caused Gaav's death. I shall carry that out for you. I will kill Lina Inverse personally.”

\-----

“Say, Lina?”

“What, Gourry?”

“Xelloss is gone.”

Lina skidded to a stop and Gourry plowed into her. They landed in a tangle of limbs on the ground just behind Filia, who had whirled around to confirm Gourry's statement. Her eyes lit up with anger. “That no-good, filthy piece of Mazoku trash! How dare he just leave like that?” She glanced down and sighed. “Lina-san! Gourry-san! This is no time for fooling around!”

“We're not fooling around!” The couple yelled together as they managed to get up without tripping over each other again. The trio stared back down the hall. Lina sighed, but wasn't really surprised that Xelloss had decided to go his own way. His own alliance with them was loose at best, his appearances only coming when they seemed to serve him. “Let's keep going,” she said to Filia and Gourry. “We can worry about Xelloss later.”

“Are you kidding me?”

At first, Lina wondered if Gourry had yelled that, but his lips hadn't moved. She didn't think that ventriloquism had suddenly become part of the swordman's arsenal and was about to ask when the voice echoed down the hall again.

“You do not understand this, not one bit! Xelloss, my rage doesn't extend just to Lina Inverse, but to everyone that had the audacity to stand against Gaav-sama! That includes you!”

“Valgaav,” Filia gasped.

“It's echoing down the corridor,” Lina said and started running.

“Well, that's most unpleasant to hear,” Xelloss replied and Lina could hear the lethal edge to it. “Then, I must reveal the other part of my orders. Should you reject our most generous offer, I have orders to immediately dispose of you.”

If Valgaav responded, it had been so low that Lina wouldn't had heard what he said. A scream of rage echoed down the tunnel and suddenly she could see a burst of light at the other end of the tunnel. _They're fighting now. Xelloss, what the hell have you done?_

In the chamber, Xelloss neatly evaded Valgaav's first, desperate lunge. Valgaav slid across the room, his control over his body's movements shaky at best. He clutched Razud Mezegis tightly and glared at the smirk on the Mazoku's face. Xelloss knew that Valgaav was having problems. _I won't let him finish me off, not like this!_ He brought up the weapon, making an overhead slash that would bisect an enemy in two if they weren't quick enough.

Xelloss was more than quick enough. He merely held up his staff horizontally and the light blade clashed into it. Valgaav gritted his teeth. The staff had to be part of Xelloss' energy or else it would had snapped in two. He leaped away, held up his dragon arm and released several balls of energy at Xelloss. They swirled around the room before slamming into the opposing wall. Valgaav backed away, breathing heavily. It had taken more out of him than he had planned. Before he realized what was happening, Xelloss shot across the room.

They were nose to nose now, with Xelloss smirking. “It doesn't matter how much you swing that weapon around or what you fire at me. It only counts if you actually land the hit. There's something else about the nature of battles that Gaav should had told you.”

_Ow?_ Valgaav winced as he felt a small, stabbing pain in his chest, then looked down to see a small cone of energy stabbing at him. The cones multiplied so rapidly that he couldn't see them anymore. The pain they caused was incredible, causing him to jerk his arms and legs out and scream in agony.

Xelloss' disembodied voice echoed through the room. “Didn't you know, Valgaav? What a poor, poor teacher Gaav was to you. You see, small wounds cause a great deal of damage if you make enough of them.”

Valgaav hit the ground, coughing blood. He held out his dragon arm and willed a ball of energy into it.

“You don't get it yet?” Xelloss appeared beside Valgaav and drove his staff into Valgaav's dragon arm. He shrieked from the pain, as the Mazoku's energy spread through his body and the bones were crushed beneath Xelloss's staff. He gave the staff a malicious twist, forcing Valgaav to control over the attack. The energy ball burst into pieces and shot into the walls. Rocks rained down around them.

Xelloss quickly lifted off the ground and waited for Valgaav to rise. “Why don't we end this?”

“That's suppose to be _my_ line,” Valgaav retorted as he shakily got to his feet.

In the corridor, the sounds of battle grew closer as Lina, Gourry and Filia raced toward it. They heard Valgaav scream out the words to activate Razud Mezegis. He rushed forward, bringing down his light blade in a slash just as they ran into the chamber. Lina skidded to a stop, Gourry and Filia nearly running into her.

"What is he...," Filia started to question, just as the space in front of them sizzled and cracked open revealing Xelloss with a wound that sliced down his body from shoulder to ankle.

"Xelloss!" Lina cried as the Mazoku fell to the ground. She, Filia and Gourry rushed to his side. Her mind reeled as she grabbed Xelloss and pulled him into a sitting position. The weapon that Valgaav used, even though it was just like the Sword of Light on the surface, it seemed to be much more powerful. It cut through the Astral plane, much like her Ragna Blade did. Lina stared at the weapon in Valgaav's hands and knew that if they didn't get it away from him that they were in big trouble.

"Why were you fighting him?" Filia yelled at Xelloss.

He cracked open an eye, managing a weak grin. "Looks like I've botched this job, haven't I?"

"Job?" Filia gave him a little shake. "What sort of job?"

"Well, I offered him Lina-san in exchange for becoming aligned with the Mazoku."

Lina gritted her teeth and jerked her hands away from Xelloss. He fell to the ground with a crash. She loomed over him. "You did _what_?"

Xelloss managed a true grin. "He got mad and thought I was trying to trick him. I wondered for a moment how you would react if you found out. I figured it would be something similar to this," he added as Lina growled and a ball of magic started to form in her hands. She infused her hands with the magic before proceeding to knock Xelloss several times in the head.

"Hey!" Gourry grabbed Lina's arm. "He's hurt!"

"What?" Lina whirled around. "He was trying to gift wrap and offer me up to Valgaav! Do you really want Xelloss to give me over to Valgaav so I can be _killed_?"

The compassion on Gourry's face fled. Instead, he shot Xelloss a dark glare and relaxed his hold on Lina, nudging her forward slightly.

"Wait a minute!" Filia grabbed Lina's other arm. "Is knocking him around all you're going to do to him? Xelloss just tried to sell your life to Valgaav!"

Lina looked up at the angry look on Gourry's face and the indignant one on Filia's. She sighed, jerked her arms away from them and pressed her hand to her temple, where she could already feel the headache growing. "Xelloss is a Mazoku, so I expect him to pull something like that. Despite knowing that, we still work together. But, in exchange, I get to use Xelloss as a little tool of convenience when I need to."

Xelloss raised an eyebrow at Lina. "This is news to me. Even so, if you're planning to fight Valgaav, be careful. His power has stabilized to the point where he's quite formidable."

He was right. For the first time since they entered the room, Lina took in Valgaav's appearance. The last time she had seen him had been at the Flarelord temple, struggling to maintain control over his body. He now stood before them, seemingly in complete control of the dual energies that were inside his body. She could also see the strain his body was under and wondered if his battle with Xelloss had forced that mastery. Lina gritted her teeth. It was something else to be mad at Xelloss about later.

Gourry moved in front of the girls and Xelloss, drawing his sword as he did so. Valgaav stared at him for a moment, threw back his head and started to laugh. "So, the only way you could have gotten here is through Almayce. I knew that contract between us didn't mean a damn thing."

“Almayce?” Lina's eyes widened. “So he is still alive!”

“Don't play games with me, Lina Inverse!”

"Lina! Gourry!"

They whipped around just as Shizuri and Lyos ran into the chamber, the Sword of Light in Shizuri's hands. She tossed the hilt to Gourry. In a single movement, he had his other sword sheathed and the Sword of Light in hand. He activated the light blade and resumed his stance.

Lina glanced across the chamber and quickly sized up what power they had. "Shizuri! Lyos! Get Xelloss out of here!"

"What?" Shizuri saw Xelloss for the first time, her jaw falling when she took in the extent of his injuries. She raced to Filia's side and grabbed Xelloss under one shoulder and Filia supported him from the other side. Lyos drew Banisher and moved to cover the women as they started to lead Xelloss from the chamber.

"I'd never imagined you'd be helping me like this," Xelloss managed as they took slow, measured steps.

"I'll yell at you about it later," Filia promised.

A large ball of green energy formed in Valgaav's claw and with a yell, he released it toward Filia, Shizuri, Lyos and Xelloss. Lina jumped in front of it, casting a Balus Wall as she did so. The attack richoeted off the shield and landed on the walls, causing them to cave in. Filia and Shizuri immediately froze and Lyos threw the blade up over them, protecting them from most of the debris. When the dust faded, the entrance that Lina, Gourry and Filia had come in through minutes earlier had been caved in.

"Damn it!" Gourry started to spring forward, then froze, remembering what happened the last time he advanced someone with one of the light weapons. He started to deactivate the sword when Valgaav let loose with another energy burst, this one directed at Lina. Gourry leaped in front of her, yanking out the his spare sword from its sheath with his left hand as he did so. He slammed the flat of the sword at the energy ball, breaking it into pieces.

"Gourry!" Lina coughed through the dust and was about to chew him out when she saw the sword that he was holding. It was the one from Kunan, the one he said he grabbed from Oren's temple. It can't be an ordinary magical sword, she realized. If it'd been, the energy ball from the light weapon would had disintegrated the sword and he would had... Valgaav's insane laughter interuppted her thought process and she forced her attention back to the battle.

_It might be worthless, but..._ Lina threw herself to the ground behind Gourry and started to chant the Dragon Slave.

"It's useless, Lina Inverse!" Valgaav sprang into the air and launched another attack at her.

"Lina!" Gourry leaped in front of her once more, holding up the magical sword. The attack hit the blade, but this time there was more power on Valgaav's end. "Light, come forth!" Gourry yelled, then pressed the blade of the Sword of Light against the second metal blade just as Valgaav launched a third attack at him.

The two blades touched each other, making an audible ringing sound through the chamber. Moments later, a shield blossomed from Gourry's joined hands, surrounding himself and Lina and she scrambled to her feet. _The Sword of Light formed a shield? No, that can't be right. It's a weapon, it can't do something like that. The other weapon? It deflected the energy ball, but.._ Instinctively, Lina slammed her hand against Gourry's back and opened her magical senses. Her eyes widened in shock as raw magic poured from his body into hers. _No way! Gourry is capable of doing magic?_ A quick glance at his hands made her realize that the shield was coming from him and not the swords. _What the hell?_

The shield gave way as Valgaav launched a series of energy balls from his dragon arm, catching both Lina and Gourry in the backlash. She automatically wrapped her arms around him to cushion the fall. Both swords were ripped from Gourry's hands. Valgaav leaped and caught the Sword of Light in one hand. The magical sword from Kunan slammed point first into the ground next to Lina and Gourry. The blade shuddered, then a series of cracks shimmered over it before the metal disintegrated into dust, leaving behind a second blade.

"What the hell...," Lyos stammered.

Lina pushed Gourry aside and crawled to the sword. A series of ornate designs decorated the blade. She grabbed the hilt and gawked at it, recognizing it from the sketches she had seen in numerous magical books. "The Blast Sword!"

"The what?" Gourry peered over Lina's shoulder.

"I'll explain later." Lina pressed the sword into his hands. "I don't know how you did it, but you just gave us a fighting chance. Use this and get those weapons away from Valgaav!"

Valgaav smirked. "Did you know that only two of the weapons are required to open the gateway? Even if you flee and go find your friends, I will have summoned Darkstar and he will consume everything in this world!"

_Zel! Amelia!_ Lina scanned the room and wished fervently that they had come along with Shizuri and Lyos. Gourry started to run for Valgaav, but he simply smirked at the swordsman and disappeared from view. Gourry skidded to a stop and swore.

Lina jabbed her finger at Lyos. "Lyos! Find Zel and Amelia, now! Meet us in the room where the pillar of light is! Hurry!"

"Right!" Lyos sped down the hall.

"Filia! Can you teleport Shizuri and Xelloss?"

"I can handle myself," Xelloss managed.

Filia wrapped an arm around Shizuri's waist and Xelloss managed a grin. "I didn't expect to see any girl on girl action in this adventure."

"Stuff it," Filia snarled before disappearing with Shizuri. Xelloss chuckled and followed.

"Damu Brass!" Lina shot the spell at the ceiling, creating a hole just big enough for herself and Gourry. "Hold on tight," she ordered and he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist. She shot into the air, through the hole and into the main chamber. She could see a platform shimmering high in the air and aimed for it. Several feet away, she saw Shizuri, Filia and Xelloss appear on a ledge.

Valgaav had both weapons in hand, the light blades crossed. A large sphere of energy formed above him. He turned, a twisted look on his face as Lina and Gourry joined the others.

"Now, this is more like it," he mummered. "What fun is there in destroying the world if you don't have an audience for it?"

"Look up there!" Shizuri pointed to the designs on the wall that now appeared to be moving. "Are those gears?"

"Some form of Overworld machine is my guess." Lina shot a glance at the sky and had a better view of the hole cut into the glass dome. It was formed in an eight-sided star. Before she could study it much further, Valgaav released the energy and a huge ray of light shot through the hole. Lina threw up her arm to block the light. When it faded, she saw Valgaav suspended in mid-air, surrounded by a white glow.

"This is the gateway to hell," Valgaav intoned, his eyes boring into Lina's. "This is where you'll die and I'll have my revenge, Lina Inverse!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a couple of what appears to be plot inconsistencies going on here, but it's all due to the fact that Valgaav thinks that Lina knows more than she actually does. In the original TRY, the groups were different. Zel and Amelia found the Sword of LIght and Lina and Gourry discovered Almayce. The subsequent information from Almayce that backs up Valgaav's rantings is revealed at the very beginning of chapter 19. Pretty much, Zelgadiss and Amelia are talking to Almayce at the same time that the fighting is going on in other parts of the tower.
> 
> Gourry's magic and the Blast Sword: As I've mentioned before, Hajime Kanzaka has mentioned in an interview that Gourry has a magical capacity one step short of being able to perform a Dragon Slave. That makes him pretty powerful. Harry Potter fans are pretty familiar with what Gourry actually did here - he performed accidental magic. It doesn't mean that he'll become a magic user. It just means that for one desperate moment in time, aided by an object that channels his will, he was able to use it. Lina's going to explain everything.
> 
> As for the Blast Sword, it's been a theory of mine ever since reading the Knight of Aqualord manga. There's several hints that it could be the Blast Sword dropped, including an emphasis placed on Gourry's sword breaking and his snatching a new one off the wall of Oren's temple. I think that Kanzaka could had easily let that whole plot go and not have Gourry's sword break. At the time, it appears to have been the catalyst for Lina to use the Dragon Slave against Rikufalso, but she was pretty close to doing that on her own anyhow. Because of the emphasis placed on it, it made me wonder if that sword was the Blast Sword. Lina's going to explain about that as well for those who are wondering just what the heck this weapon is.


	22. Driven Almost to Despair

"Princess! Zelgadiss!"

Amelia glanced over her shoulder to see a flash of blue hair emerge from the darkness. "Lyos-san!"

Lyos rushed into the cavern and skidded to a stop when he saw the large chamber that Zelgadiss and Amelia stood in front of and the being who studied them. With an oath, he swung Banisher off of his shoulder and pointed it at Almayce. “What the hell are you doing here? Princess, get a shield ready just in case this guy tries something funny.”

“I am not trying anything,” Almayce replied, his voice edged with fear.

Amelia frowned. _Is he afraid of Lyos-san? No, that can't be it. He just said that Valgaav can open the gates with just two weapons. If that's the case… The Sword of Light!_ She gasped and swung around to face Lyos. “Where's Shizuri-san?”

“Back with Lina and the others. We got the Sword of Light…then lost it to Valgaav.”

Almayce let out a tremulous sigh. “It will be as I feared then.”

Zelgadiss shifted his stance slightly, but kept his sword at the ready. “You mentioned that Valgaav can summon Darkstar with just two weapons. What's with that?”

“He can what?” Lyos yelped, then Amelia motioned him to be quiet.

“We may not have time for explanations,” Almayce said. He closed his eye again and concentrated for a moment. Zelgadiss, Amelia and Lyos exchanged wary looks just Almayce's eye popped open again and the glass surrounding the Overworlder shattered. Blue liquid gushed out of it as Almayce pushed aside shards of glass, the sharp edges barely cutting his leathery skin. He directed a considering look at Zelgadiss, then gave a small laugh that made the skin on the back of Amelia's neck crawl.

“You,” he said with a joyous cackle. “You have them. The third and fourth weapons, Bodigar and Nezzard. Quickly, I must see them.” He stretched his remaining bony arm toward Zelgadiss, the fingertips glowing.

Zelgadiss immediately ducked out of the way, but he felt his cloak ruffle around him as whatever power Almayce had called to the weapons. His hand swept inside of the cloak, grabbing one of the weapons from the magically-enlarged pockets he'd placed them in. He tossed it to Amelia, then pulled out the other for himself and sheathed his regular sword.

Amelia stared down at the light weapon, her mouth forming a small “O.” “I…I can't use this, Zelgadiss-san.”

“That's right,” Almayce crooned and started for her. “Why don't you let me hold onto it for awhile?”

She shot him a nasty look, then leapt into the air. “I'm not about to let _you_ have it either!”

“Amelia,” Zelgadiss started to say, then noticed the geninue look of distress on her face. He scowled. There was no time for personal hang-ups, but… “Fine, don't use it. Just don't let him have it either!”

“You don't understand.” Almayce swung back toward Zelgadiss and he brought up the weapon. “Summoning Darkstar here is not our ultimate objective.”

“But isn't that what you wanted, back at the Flarelord temple?” Amelia asked. Comforted by the fact that she wouldn't have the use the weapon, she shifted her grip on it to gain a better hold and lowered herself back to the ground. “If that's the case, then why are you here to begin with?”

“I am here to gather the means to destroy Darkstar.”

Amelia and Lyos gasped. Zelgadiss simply narrowed his eyes. _It would sound far-fetched to them…but it was only a few years ago that I stood before my own grandfather as he announced his plans to summon Shabranigdu, then destroy him. Have these people from Darkstar's universe somehow heard of Lina doing that? But how?_ His gaze met Amelia's and he realized that she was thinking the same thing.

“Originally, I was a servant of Volphied in the eternal battle against Darkstar,” Almayce explained.

“You don't look like a servant of the gods,” Amelia shot back at him.

“And just what in your mind does a servant of the gods look like?” Zelgadiss asked her.

She sniffed a little. “Well…a little less like a Mazoku. He looks more like an evil being than one who serves the gods.”

He gave her a cryptic smile. “Amelia, didn't you learn about judging people on their initial appearance?”

“Well, when their initial appearance includes attacking us and nearly killing Gourry-san, it tends to alter my perception just a little bit,” Amelia said a little stiffly. She didn't care to be reminded of her own lack of judgment regarding her first meeting with Zelgadiss during the battle against Copy Rezo.

Zelgadiss merely lifted an eyebrow at her, then nodded briefly to concede the point. He turned his attention back to Almayce. “Go on.”

“For a period of time, longer than any of you can imagine, we and Darkstar's forces fought.”

Zelgadiss and Amelia nodded. Ceiphied and Shabranigdu had also fought a similar battle. Amelia glanced at Lyos and saw a blank look on his face that reminded her so much of Gourry that she nearly laughed. Lina had told her how Gourry hadn't known about the legends surrounding Ceiphied and Shabranigdu when they first met and to this day he still struggled with some of the details. It appeared that Lyos was the same way, though she wasn't quite sure how much access he had to that sort of education to begin with.

“That terrible war ended with our defeat,” Almayce continued. “Darkstar's true objective was to destroy us along with that world. We thought he would succeed at this. However, the energy he absorbed from Volphied when he defeated him was too much and Darkstar went out of control. He went insane, murdering all of his own trips. Having forgotten his original purpose, Darkstar embarked on a war against all living things, leaving behind a dead, pathetic wasteland.”

“That's horrible!” Amelia's voice trembled slightly as she imagined the same thing happening to their own world.

“It's a sad story,” Zelgadiss conceded, “but what does that have to do with you coming here?”

“The survivors began a desperate search for a way to destroy Darkstar. That is when we learned of the five weapons he created and how the power of those weapons could break apart Darkstar's.”

Lyos scratched his head. “You mean, kind of like Shabranigdu was broken into seven parts?”

Amelia's eyes went wide with surprise. “You know the legend, Lyos-san?”

“Soi Len told it to me. I'm not so sure about this Volphied, but I guess it has something to do with this whole Overworld stuff.”

“The Lord of Nightmares created more than one world from the Sea of Chaos. Volphied and Darkstar are the god and dark lord of one of those worlds,” Zelgadiss said and turned his attention back to Almayce. “So, you'd use the weapons to split Darkstar's power like Ceiphied split Shabranigdu.”

Almayce nodded. “After we used the weapons to do so, we would destroy each piece separately. For hundreds of years we searched for the weapons. The last anyone had seen of them was when they were somehow all sent to Ceiphied's world. We searched other worlds, but then around 18 months ago in your time span, we were suddenly able to detect the prescence of the weapons.”

“Which just happens to coincide with the defeat of Hellmaster Phibrizzo and the fall of the Mazoku barrier. The barrier must had masked the weapons,” Zelgadiss mused.

“The rest you already know, at least you two.” Almayce nodded toward Amelia and Lyos. “I assume that you were filled in. I came here and made an alliance with the one called Valgaav. It proved to be a less than fruitful union.”

“That's putting it mildly,” Lyos muttered.

“Wait a minute!” Amelia shoved her weapon into Zelgadiss's hands and strode up to Almayce. She stood in front of him, feet spread wide in a position that he recognized as her favorite justice speech pose. She jabbed a finger at Almayce and Zelgadiss winced in sympathy. _For once, I'm feeling a bit sorry for you…_

“Do you realize how unjust your actions were?” Amelia yelled at Almayce, her fury rising as she recalled all the pain the Overworlder had brought her and her friends. She didn't think she would ever forget the look on Lina's face when Almayce had sent Gourry flying into the wall, nor her own panic when she realized the extent of his injuries. “You could had just asked the people of this world for help instead of attacking and nearly killing us.”

Almayce's expression bordered somewhere between extreme patience and a growing annoyance. “For this to work, Darkstar has to be summoned. If you were told all of this upfront, would your kingdoms have gone along with this?”

Amelia faltered for a moment, then lowered her hand, her conscience starting to prick at her slightly. “Well…no. We wouldn't condone such an action! It would put the world in grave danger!”

“Just as it put your world in grave danger when Lina Inverse used the Giga Slave to summon the Lord of Nightmares?” Almayce scanned their shocked faces. “I am not without my own resources. Lina Inverse's actions, because they affected the Mother of All Beings, was felt throughout the other worlds both times she did it. Most did not register it, but because a good bit of our time was spent traveling through the Sea of Chaos, we felt the disturbance from the Giga Slave.”

The look on the being's face gentled. “I actually do not blame you for being resistant to the idea of summoning Darkstar. It is common sense. That's why we decided that the only way to accomplish the task was to become your enemy.”

Amelia thought back to the battle at the Flarelord temple, how Filia's elder had said that in order to protect the world, they would give up the Sword of Light, an action that would had directly caused what the elder feared most. _No wonder Almayce felt that he couldn't depend on us._

“But, if Valgaav has two of the weapons, he could possibly open the gateway and…”

“He does,” Lyos interjected. “He said something about it right before I came here. He said that only two of the weapons were required to open the gateway.”

Almayce said something in an unintelligible language that still sounded like an oath to Amelia. “If he does that, we won't be able to divide Darkstar's power!”

“You mean if he's summoned right now…,” Zelgadiss started to say.

“The world will end!” Amelia shrieked.

“The two weapons that you have will seal the gate if it's been opened,” Almayce said and nodded to the weapons that Zelgadiss held. “You must hurry. Go back to the main chamber you were at. You'll see a wide platform suspended in the sky with four slots. If Valgaav has started the process of opening the gates, inserting Bodigar and Nezzard into the two remaining slots will close it once more.”

“We better hurry,” Zelgadiss said, then pitched forward as the ground shook beneath them. Lyos grabbed hold of his arm to steady him. Zelgadiss nodded his thanks, then passed the other weapon to Amelia. “We need to go as fast as we can. Hold onto me, Lyos. I'm going to do my best to Raywing down the halls. Amelia, when we get there, use the weapon in the slot.”

“Right,” Amelia nodded and they took off down the hall, leaving Almayce behind. The being let out a huge sigh before sliding to the ground. As his great eye closed, he prayed that they would be able to do what he could not.

\-----

"So, the pillar of light...this is where Darkstar is suppose to be summoned if what Valgaav says is right?" Shizuri guessed.

"It would make sense for this to be the gateway,” Lina replied as she watched energy crackle around the different pieces of machinery. Every few seconds, forks of lightening shot off from one weapon to the other creating an impressive show of light that rivaled the pillar that stood in the middle of the display.

Xelloss stumbled forward. He dropped to one knee and instinctively Lina caught him. He leaned heavily on her shoulder and stared up at the light. "I... I really didn't imagine that such a thing was built out here. This area we're at, it's forbidden to both the Gods and Mazoku. That's why I couldn't come out here before now. I wasn't given the authorization to do so."

"Really?" Shizuri gave Xelloss a skeptic look. “You mean to tell me that Mazoku paperwork held up your pursuing Valgaav to this location?”

His eyes narrowed. "Shizuri-san, as one who serves the Gods, surely you are aware of a war that is even more ancient than the Kouma Sensou."

Shizuri's eyes went wide and Lina and Filia gasped. "Wait a minute," Filia stammered, "you don't mean..."

Xelloss pinned Filia with such a serious glare that she immediately fell silent. "I do mean it. This is the place where Shabranigdu-sama and the dragon god Ceiphied fought each other."

"I once saw a map of Sazu-sama's, one that was said to have been made before the Kouma Sensou. It was one of the few artifacts in Titou that proved that the barrier lands existed," Shizuri said, seeing the ancient parchment in her mind's eye just as clearly as if it was spread before them. "The island in the middle was said to be where the battle between the Ceiphied and Shabrangidu took place. The resulting explosions caused the formation of the continents as we know them now. To think we're standing on the epicenter..."

"But why did Almayce choose this place?" Filia wondered.

Shizuri turned her face toward the sky. "When we first got here, Lyos reacted to the energy being put off by the pillar of light. You did as well, Lina."

Lina closed her eyes and visualized the battle in her mind. She could see it, the clashing energies between the two great beings. She let go of Xelloss, who wobbled but remained upright. She rummaged into her cloak and grinned when she found a piece of chalk.

"For every action, there is an equal, but opposite reaction," Lina recited. "I read that in a book of scientific method once. Say you've got these two really big balls of magic. Here and here." She drew two circles next to each other on the stone ground. "Now, Shabranigdu and Ceiphied were equal in power. And don't give me that look," she ordered when Xelloss simply lifted his eyebrow. "Roughly equal. So, what happens when two things that are the same hit each other?"

"Umm...they bounce off of each other?" Gourry scratched his head.

"Good for you, Gourry! They bounce off each other, which caused our world as we know it. However, the area where the magic clashed is probably destabilized - the two forces of magic cancel each other out. I bet Almayce was going use that fact to somehow enhance the gateway when he called Darkstar into our world."

"It's a good theory, Lina-san," Xelloss acknowledged.

Shizuri glanced down at the diagram, then back up at Valgaav, who had moved to a large platform with several large slots ringing it. "So, if he summons Darkstar now, we have no way of closing this gate?"

“I'm not sure how he's going to do it with only two weapons. He says that he only needs two weapons to open it, but we need to stop him from doing anything at all." Lina signaled to Filia and she nodded. Lina shot into the air with a Raywing while Filia teleported to Valgaav's side.

He turned and smirked. "Isn't it the runaway dragon priestess? What do you prepare to do to me?"

Filia ignored him, activating her brooch as she chanted. " _Chaotic Disintegrate_!" she yelled just as Lina touched down on one of the pillars above them and released an Elmekia Flame.

Valgaav laughed. "Do you really think those attacks will have any effect on me?" He cleaved Razud Mezegis into the ground, sending a bolt of energy toward Filia. She teleported out of the way, joining Lina on the pillar above. Together, they watched as Valgaav released the Sword of Light and secured it in one of the slots on the platform. A series of lights suddenly lit up the intricate pieces of machinery and various gears and levers started to move. The platform that Lina and Filia stood on began to descend and, grabbing Filia's hand, Lina immediately took to the air.

At the same time, the pillar where Gourry, Shizuri and Xelloss were also began to move. They wobbled and Xelloss swore under his breath. Grabbing Shizuri's wrist, he teleported with her to the pillar where Lina and Filia had moved to. He let go, turned back, then immediately fell to his knees. "Damn it," he wheezed. "Lina, you might want to go get Gourry-san."

Lina rolled her eyes at Xelloss and immediately flew down to Gourry, who was giving her a slightly cross look at being left behind. She grabbed his arm and was about to take off once more she heard her name being called. She tilted her face up and saw Valgaav standing at the edge of the platform, Razud Mezegis still in hand.

"You don't have to hurry," he told her. "I plan to let you live long enough to see Darkstar be summoned to this world. " He laughed and walked away from the edge.

"What'll we do?" Gourry asked.

"We've got to get that weapon out of Valgaav's hands." Lina frowned as she ran through possible tactics in her head. "I'm not sure if we can stop him."

Gourry frowned at the worried look on Lina's face, then ruffled her hair with his free hand. When she gave him a surprised look, he smiled. "Don't worry. We'll manage. We've been in worse situations, haven't we?"

Somehow, she managed an answering smile, wrapped an arm around Gourry's waist and took to the air.

Valgaav approached the ornate post where the second weapon would go. He paused and let the absolute thrill of what he was about to do go through him. No one, not even Gaav, had ever told him how intoxicating it would be to have this sort of power running through him, the ability to terrorize others the way he had been terrorized. All sides - Gods, Mazoku and humans - would now know what it would be like to see their civilizations be nudged onto the brink of extinction, then tipped over.

"Gorun Nova, which cleaves. Razud Mezegis, which pierces," he intoned and lifted Razud Mezegis to thrust it into the post, "open the doorway to the dark star and let the darkness be brought into this world!"

"I don't think so!" Lina suddenly changed course and dove toward the platform. Gourry brought up his sword arm as they grew closer to Valgaav. Lina let go and Gourry smashed the flat of the blade into Valgaav's arm. He howled with pain as the weapon was flung from his grip. Gourry slammed into the ground and immediately reached for Razud Mezegis.

Valgaav roared and reared back with his foot. Using all the strength he had, he plowed his boot into Gourry's abdomen, sending the swordsman flying across the platform and over the edge. Lina quickly twisted in the air just as Gourry disappeared. With a curse, she channeled extra power into her Raywing spell and dove toward him.

"No!" Filia screamed and leaped off her pillar. She transformed as she dove, sweeping under Gourry and catching him on her back just before he hit the ground. Gourry gripped her back, wheezing for a moment as he realized that he hadn't been flattened into a pancake. He flipped over, got to his knees. "Thanks, Filia!"

Lina stopped her own dive and sighed in relief, then whirled around in time to see Valgaav grab the Razud Mezegis. "Filia! Get out of the way!" she yelled, then brought her hands in front of her, taking careful aim at Valgaav. " _Dimil Arwin!_ "

The attack slammed into Valgaav, sending him through the platform and into the machinery below. Lina flew to the top of the platform and was joined by Filia, Gourry and Shizuri, whom they stopped to pick up. The four nodded to each other and Shizuri pointed at a thick slab of stone that jutted from the debris behind Valgaav, then snapped her fingers. It transformed into a giant with a hammer, which brought its weapon down on Valgaav. He smirked, leaped forward and easily cut through the stone. Whirling around, he launched a series of attacks that caused the group to scatter. Filia grabbed Gourry's arm and teleported with him to one side of the cavern while Lina flew with Shizuri to the other side.

"Idiots," Valgaav scoffed. "You keep forgetting that my dragon powers are combined with the Mazoku powers that Gaav-sama gave me. None of you people stand a chance!" Valgaav launched a second series of attacks at Filia and Gourry, who jumped in front of Filia and sliced through the energy balls with the Blast Sword.

Lina lifted her cloak from where she had been shielding herself and Shizuri and smirked at Valgaav. "Oh, really?"

Valgaav grinned. "Care to take me on, Lina Inverse?"

Lina's gaze shot across the room to Gourry and Filia, a promise she had made long before suddenly running through her mind.

"Lina?" Shizuri asked.

Lina didn't answer either Shizuri or Valgaav. Instead, she grabbed Shizuri's hand and flew with her back over to Gourry and Filia. The moment she let Shizuri go, Lina touched Gourry's arm. "I'm keeping my promise," she murmured. "Whatever you see me do, just trust me, okay?"

Gourry blinked at her, then his eyes widened and he nodded. Lina took to the air once more and landed a few feet beneath Valgaav. Shizuri gave Gourry a sidelong glance. "What was that all about?"

Gourry didn't answer her because Lina was already moving into action. She held her arms in a cross, pressed to her chest. "Four kings who rule the darkness of the four universes; I implore you on the fragments that I have; That by all the power you possess; Give me more magical energy." The talisman started reacting as Lina crumpled to the ground.

"Lina!" Filia shrieked and started to bolt, but stopped when Gourry grabbed her arm. She tossed a disbelieving look at him. "What are you doing? Valgaav's going to hurt her!"

"Just trust her," was all he said and Filia turned her attention back to the battle.

Valgaav swooped down until he hovered so close that Lina could smell him. _And such a lovely fragrance as well. Ode d' B.O. Apparently Gaav didn't see it fit to teach his henchmen about bathing regularly._ Lina lifted her head as Valgaav landed before her.

"Too bad, whatever that spell's suppose to be." Valgaav raised an eyebrow. "Some sorceress you claim to be, when you can't even cast a simple spell."

Lina smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I'm every inch the sorceress I claim to be because my spell was perfectly cast." In a single, fluid motion, Lina whipped her short sword from its sheath and plunged it into Valgaav's chest, using the momentum to launch them both off the ground and into the pit.

"What the hell...," Valgaav choked, but Lina ignored him, instead turning her attention to chanting the Dragon Slave and directing the energy into her blade.

Gourry, Shizuri and Filia peered over the edge of their perch. "You said to trust her, does that include suicide moves?" Shizuri yelled at Gourry.

Gourry didn't say anything. He didn't think he could at the moment.

Valgaav gawked at Lina. "A Dragon Slave?"

She gave him a cocky grin. "Oh, yeah. Amplified at that. I'm protected by a magical barrier, one that you can't neutralize. So, let's see how our main course of close-ranged Dragon Slave channeled directly into your body will turn out. _Dragon Slave_!"

The attack shot directly into Valgaav, forcing him away from Lina. She shot back into the air, rejoining the others. She hunched over slightly to catch her breath, then managed a grin. The effect that her little maneuver had on her friends was comical, at least in her eyes. Shizuri looked like she'd aged a good 10 years while Filia tried to remember how to speak. Gourry, the one used to this sort of thing from her, simply pressed his hand to his forehead and looked like he had a headache.

"I really hope that worked," he told her.

"It had to." Lina stared down into the hole. "There was no way he could have cast any sort of defensive spell or thrown up a barrier." She straightened and grinned at her group. "Let's go find Zel and..."

She never got a chance to finish her sentence. Orange beams of light shot toward Lina and she whirled around. Shizuri, the closest to Lina, tackled her and both women hit the ground barely eluding the attack. As soon as Shizuri moved off of her, Lina could see Valgaav, screaming with pain as he absorbed the power of the Dragon Slave into his own body. He shot into the air, racing back toward the platform.

"Oh, shit!" Lina grabbed Shizuri's arm and immediately followed.

They crested the platform just as Valgaav slammed Razud Mezegis into the second port. The gears spun, lights sparkled and a huge black void opened just above the glass dome.

Lina stared up at the portal, her heart turning to ice. _It looks just like Hellmaster Phibrizzo's..._

Valgaav gracefully dropped to the ground, folding his legs across each other as he tipped his face to the sky, his platform rising toward the portal. Through the portal, Lina could see a huge beast with red, glowing eyes that reminded her in a way of Shabranigdu after his piece had been unsealed inside of Rezo. Tentacles, she wasn't sure if it was energy or part of his body, started to emerge from the portal.

Valgaav got back to his feet. "Going to devour me first, you pathetic dark lord? Very well, then. Take this body!" he yelled as the darkness enveloped him.

"Valgaav!" Filia yelled. Lina glanced quickly over her shoulder and saw that Filia and Gourry had joined them on the platform, both looking awe-struck and slightly scared.

"There's no way to stop this now, is there?" Shizuri asked in a small voice.

"There is, isn't there, Lina-san?"

Lina looked up and saw Xelloss where they had left him earlier, one hand still clasped to his wound. She knew exactly what he was talking about. There were only two spells in her arsenal that could even begin to come close to matching whatever power Darkstar possessed. Airlord's, while it could fight off a Mazoku general or possibly even one of the direct subordinates of Shabranigdu, wouldn't be able to overcome a fully intact dark lord, which only left...

Lina moved against the wind until she stood next to Gourry. "You know what I have to do," she told him.

"I do," he said in a resigned voice. "I don't like it."

She placed a hand on his arm. "The last time I did this, I did it for you. I did it because I couldn't imagine this world without you in it." His eyes widened as she stared at him with a blazing look in her own. "I'm doing it this time for all of us."

When she had left for the Tower of Wind, he had been the one to suddenly hug her, to offer comfort and reassurance. Now she threw her arms around him and he bent his head to the top of hers. She allowed herself to relax into him slightly, to wish for hours and days of just this. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Luna's voice spoke and she ignored it.

When they broke away, the doubt in Gourry's eyes was gone. "Do what you have to do," he told her.

"Count on it." She flashed a grin at him and stepped toward the abyss.

"What is she doing?" Filia asked in a whisper.

Gourry curled his hands into fists as Lina approached the growing darkness. "She's going to cast the Giga Slave."

"The Giga Slave?" Shizuri screamed. "You can't! The princess told me about that spell! She said that no human can control that spell! It was pure luck that she got it off against Shabranigdu and then with Hellmaster Phibrizzo... That spell could destroy the world!"

"Either way, the world will be destroyed," Filia protested.

Shizuri whirled on her. "How can you side with her on something like this?"

Filia gave her a firm look. "Because, I believe in Lina-san. I also believe in the power of the Lord of Nightmares. Her power is the only one that is greater than Darkstar's. I'd rather have a microscopic chance than none at all."

"But, you don't understand what happened the last time Lina cast that spell!"

"Yes, I do!" Filia shouted back. "Luna-san told me what happened!"

Lina could no longer hear them. She stared into the abyss, into the glittering red eyes of the being that was Darkstar. _Even if I don't cast the Giga Slave correctly, the talismans may give me enough power to where I can control it._

The first time she had cast the spell, Gourry hadn't quite understood what Lina was going to do with it. The second time, he'd been unconscious and had only seen the aftermath - when the lady in gold that they called the Lord of Nightmares had tried to take Lina away from him. Panic welled up in his chest as Lina lifted her arms and a black vortex similar to the larger one above them started to form as the gravity of her actions sunk in.

" _Raywing_!"

The shout barely cut through Lina's chant, but she heard it. Whirling around, she released the spell as Zelgadiss and Amelia shot onto the platform, each armed with a weapon. They flew toward the two posts opposite the weapons already secured in place and thrust them into the orbs. A chain reaction exploded from the orbs, forming a large sphere of light and pressure. Lina barely had time to throw herself to the ground before the world exploded around her.

\-----

"Lina-san! Lina-san!"

It took several tries before Lina could open her eyes, but even then her world was blurry. A black, pink and white blob hovered over her and it was a couple of minutes before the blob rearranged herself into a familiar face. "Amelia?"

"You're all right!" Amelia threw her arms around Lina as she struggled to sit up.

"Heh." Lina managed a cryptic look for her. "What the hell took you so long?"

"The way we came in through was blocked and each attack only made things worse. We tried doing a Damu Brass through the ceiling, but more debris kept caving in on us. We finally found a hole that was already there and went up through it."

"Damn, you were cutting it close," Lina said, and decided not to tell Amelia that she'd been about to cast the Giga Slave - although, she was quite sure that Shizuri would probably do that little task for her to begin with. She would just have to deal with the lecture later. "Where are we?"

"Washed up on an island not far from where we were," Amelia said, pointing into the distance. "Look."

Lina shielded her eyes and saw the pillar of light still stretching into the air. "The color's changed, but apparently the systems are still working," she muttered, then looked around. "Gourry? The others?"

"Zelgadiss-san shielded me, and we all landed on this island together. He didn't sustain many injuries, so he's flying around to some of the other islands to look for Gourry-san and the others. We left Lyos-san with them right before we closed the gateway."

On an island not far from Lina and Amelia, Filia also stood looking at the pillar of light. "Dragon's blood shall spread and following the power between light and darkness, a single star shall be awakened," she mummered.

"Part of the prophecy, right?" Lyos asked, using his sword as a crutch as he dragged himself over to her.

"That's right. Sit down, Lyos-san, let me heal you."

Lyos plopped onto the sand and Filia knelt next to him. "So, why'd you repeat it now?"

"I'm just wondering if the dragon's blood the prophecy refers to is Valgaav's."

"But, he ain't all dragon now. He's part-Mazoku."

"Filia!"

Filia looked up and saw Gourry and Shizuri stumbling toward her and Lyos, leaning on each other for support. Gourry's arm hung at a funny angle and a deep cut slashed across Shizuri's forehead. "Gourry-san! Shizuri-san!" She quickly finished her healing spell on Lyos and moved to work on the two of them.

Zelgadiss spotted them from the air and gave a sigh of relief. He flew back to where he left Amelia and Lina. "How're you holding up?" he asked as Amelia helped Lina to her feet.

"I can manage. You find them?"

"One island over." Zelgadiss grabbed Lina's arm and led the way until Lina saw the assembled group. Filia was still healing Gourry while Shizuri and Lyos both leaned against a rock to rest.

As soon as they touched down, Lina sank onto the ground herself, exhausted from the short flight. "Well, fancy meeting the rest of you here."

"Lina!" Shizuri and Lyos exclaimed. Gourry and Filia simply managed matching grins.

"Well, now that we're all back together, we need to decide what to do next." Lina turned her attention to the pillar of light. "But for now, let's try to find some place with lots of food and beds for all of us."

——-

Nature had been on their side. Not long after Filia managed to locate an island with a town big enough to have an inn, both Lina and Amelia had lost their magical abilities. The first two days after the battle were spent sleeping, recovering from their injuries and simply spending quiet time together. On the third day after the attack, the entire group took over the dining room in the middle of the afternoon and started to piece together what had happened during the battle.

Zelgadiss and Amelia recounted all of Almayce's story and Lina realized how lucky they'd been. If they hadn't come rushing back with the other two weapons, there was a good chance none of them would be sitting there at the moment. Their weapon count was all the way back down to zero, and none of them were quite sure that the other four weapons were still at the pillar of light.

Shizuri and Lyos shared their short tale of capturing Jillas and retrieving the Sword of Light. “The rope didn't last very long and we didn't realize it until we'd almost gotten back to you that Jillas was gone,” Shizuri apologized. “He didn't try to stop us, so I'm not sure what he did.”

“It doesn't matter at this point,” Lina replied, then proceeded to fill Zelgadiss and Amelia in on Xelloss's offer to Valgaav and the subsequent fight.

“That reminds me,” Shizuri said, interuppting Lina, “what is that sword that Gourry got? You called it the Blast Sword.”

Zelgadiss and Amelia nearly shot out of their chairs. “Gourry has _what?_ ” Zelgadiss yelled.

“The Blast Sword is one of the sharpest blades known to man,” Lina explained. “It's so sharp that it can't be contained in a sheath. Supposedly the previous owner of the blade knew this and had a secondary blade forged that covered the original. It can absorb the magical energy around it and cause it to grow even sharper. They say that the sword can cut through anything. I wouldn't be surprised if you could kill high-level Mazoku with it.”

“Really?” Gourry's eyes lit up and he looked down at the blade, which rested on the table. “When I tried to resheath it after the battle, the sheath fell apart. I thought it was just because of the battle itself. You mean…this sword is really mine?” He said it with the awe of a child being given an expensive present, then his gaze darted to Lina's. “You can't have it,” he said protectively.

She pouted. “Isn't what I have yours and what you have mine?”

“Only if we're married!”

“Well…,” Lina started to say, then let her voice trail off as Amelia produced a familiar piece of parchment from her cloak and everyone grinned at her. “In any case, I'm willing to bet you won't be able to sheath it. If you drop it, it could cut through the floor. If you're not careful, it'll cut through anything like a knife through butter.”

Everyone at the table scooted several feet away from Gourry. He glared at all of them. “Chicken,” he muttered under his breath.

“So, essentially that sword's so sharp that it's useless?” Lyos asked. “Some sword.”

“I think there's some metal-dulling spells that you can embed into it that'll make it dull enough to at least be sheathed,” Zelgadiss said. “I noticed a small library in this town. Amelia and I can go investigate it tomorrow since we're going to be here a few more days.”

“I wonder how such a powerful sword got to Shizuri-san's country?” Amelia wondered, rubbing her chin.

“It probably made its way over there before the Kouma Sensou,” Lina explained. “The legends say that it hasn't been seen in more than 1,000 years. That would make it consistent. The original owner probably stashed it in the temple so people wouldn't go after it.”

"One other question," Shizuri said, holding up her hand. "When Valgaav tried to attack you and Gourry, Gourry used the Sword of Light to form a shield around the two of you. From what I understand of the weapons, can they really do that? If so, we are so screwed, especially since Valgaav saw it."

"If Valgaav tried using the weapon as a shield, it would fail him," Lina explained. "The weapons didn't cast the shield. _Gourry_ casted the shield."

"What?" Zel and Amelia cried together.

Gourry shook his head. "But, Lina, I can't do magic."

She gave him a rueful smile. "Yes, you can. Gourry, give Zel your hand."

Gourry did so and Zelgadiss closed his eyes to focus on forming a magical link between them. They immediately popped open and Zelgadiss stared at Gourry, a bit dumbfounded. "You have quite the sizable magical capacity there, Gourry."

"Those who can do magic are usually born with the bucket capacity to do so," Lina explained. "Usually, the ability manifests itself somehow during childhood and that alerts the Sorcerer's Guild, which then tests the child to see how big their capacity is. That comes in the form of accidental magic - things such as levitation or lighting spells because in order to use your magic, it requires a very strong will to pull it off."

"The Sword of Light can be used as a magic ampifier," Lina glanced over at Zelgadiss and he nodded. "I used it in that manner a few years ago when casting the Giga Slave. I channeled the spell into the Sword of Light and it concentrated the spell into the sword and made it more effective."

"I think I get it. Gourry wanted to protect you so much that he performed accidental magic," Shizuri guessed.

Lina nodded and shot a grin at the throughly embarrassed swordsman. "I think he would had succeeded on his own, but when he activated the Sword of Light at the right point, it acted as a conductor for the magic. Hence the shield spell."

"But, I don't want to perform magic, Lina."

She raised an eyebrow at Gourry. "I doubt you'll ever remember the words for the Lighting spell. You're not a sorcerer. There's a difference between having the capacity to do magic and the ability to do so. Sylphiel can handle casting a Dragon Slave, but she can't even get a Flare Arrow off."

"Is his magical capacity why Gourry-san is such a good swordsman?" Amelia wondered.

"It probably adds something when the Sword of Light is activated, but his skill there is on his own. So, don't look insulted," Lina added for Gourry's benefit. "We know how much you like using those muscles of yours."

She wandered over to the window, pushed aside the curtain and stared at the pillar of light. "In any case, it looks like our job's far from over."

"So, are we going to head to the temple that Milgazia-san told us about?"

Lina let the curtain drop and nodded to Filia

“Speakings of flying…,” Shizuri leaned over and jabbed her finger into Gourry's chest. “You. Explain yourself.”

Gourry gave Shizuri a blank look and for once, Lina had to agree with his confusion. “What are you talking about, Shizuri?”

“I'm saying that either Gourry is putting on the best act the world's ever seen or he managed to develop a cure for his motion sickness when we were flying around inside of Valgaav's base. This is the guy that turns green at the thought of flying, yet he was making attacks from midair. So, got something you want to confess to us? Were you just trying to get a particular woman's sympathy?”

“Ah…er…I really don't like flying!” Gourry stammered.

“Then what was so different about today?”

“I don't know! I wasn't thinking!”

“That's it!” Shizuri's attention swung to Amelia as the princess slapped a fist in the palm of her other hand. “Shizuri-san, Gourry-san isn't lying about his motion sickness. He wouldn't be that devious or else he'd have to be given a lecture about how unjust it is to lie.”

Lyos and Zelgadiss both gave Gourry sympathetic looks as sweat slid down the swordsman's forehead.

“But if he's not thinking about it, it doesn't bother him,” Amelia continued. “That's why he can handle flying in battle. His mind isn't thinking about the fact that he's flying. It's just thinking about the battle. It's very logical.”

“In any case,” Lina said, “when Amelia and I have our powers back, we need to go back to the tower. We need to find out what the fifth weapon can do, though I have a guess based off of what you found out. If two weapons are needed to open the gate and two more to close it, then the last one must be needed to actually destroy Darkstar. We need to see if we can find Almayce again and get him to confirm that. We also need to see if we can get our hands on the first four weapons. Valgaav's in no shape to go after them at this point and I highly doubt Xelloss will - not while we're around to do his dirty work for him.” She grinned at Filia's unladylike snort. “Then let's go check out that temple that Milgazia-san told us about. I'm going with my gut on this. The final weapon is there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus ends attempt #1 at summoning Darkstar. For those of you trying to follow along with the the original series, these last two chapters covered the events of episodes 12, 13 and 14 of the anime. Because the group is all together and they already know to head to the Ancient Dragon temple, the next chapter will cover a little bit of episode 19, then skip straight to episode 21. One note that I forgot to include in my last chapter is like with some of the early episodes, there's dialogue taken straight from the anime.
> 
> Pretty much everything that has happened has been explained at some point - how the whole Darkstar thing works, the Blast Sword, even Gourry's sudden forgetfulness of his motion sickness. That's actually based off of my own reactions to motion sickness. If I'm the passenger in a car, I usually get ill. But if I'm the driver, I'm able to push the illness to the back of my mind and forget it because I'm focused on driving.
> 
> I'm not quite sure how many more chapters this story will be - I'm guessing around seven chapters and one more interlude, but we are starting to head toward the end since this arc will be pushed together with the final arc of Try.


	23. Picking Up the Pieces

_One week after the battle at the gateway_

Lina shielded her eyes from the sun and stared up at the tower where they had fought Valgaav a week earlier. There was a few, slight cosmetic changes to it, the sort of changes that were normally caused by a massive battle involving the use of at least one Dragon Slave. Some would say that that the alterations added a little bit of charm to the tower. Others would call it a condemned wreck. In any case, they had returned to the scene of their previous battle to get back to the room where Valgaav had summoned Darkstar to get the weapons they'd left behind.

Amelia pressed a hand against her chest and frowned. “There doesn't seem to be anyone here.”

“It's not like security was that spectacular the last time we were here, princess,” Shizuri commented.

They made their way through the maze of corridors into the main chamber. The ground level was a wreck, remains from the magical fight between Lina and Valgaav creating gaping holes in the floor. They picked their way through the debris and reached the middle platform. Lina scanned the instruments and wondered if there was a way that it could be used to get them up to the platform where Valgaav had opened the gateway. She approached a panel, then noticed a boulder planted in the middle of one of the attached machines and sighed.

“Well, we're just going to have to fly up there,” Lina announced and turned back to the group. “There's no point in all of us going. Zel, Amelia and I will fly up there and bring back the weapons. The rest of you wait here and try not to disturb anything. This floor could cave in at any second.” She nodded to Zelgadiss and Amelia and the three of them lifted into the air.

Lina hadn't noticed the previous time how high the gateway was. She'd been so distracted by Valgaav's insanity that she hadn't had a chance to take it in. She swapped from a Levitation to a Raywing, using the winds to accelerate her body.

“In a rush, Lina?” Zelgadiss teased as he changed spells himself.

“I don't like this place.”

“I agree,” Amelia said and gave a slight shudder as she followed suit. “It's entirely too creepy.”

Lina shot a grin down at her seconds before she slammed into something. The impact caused her to lose control of the spell and the Raywing bubble disappeared with a pop. Lina's eyes went wide and she shrieked before tumbling back. Zelgadiss swooped in and caught her before she fell very fall. With a muttered oath, Lina recast the spell and slowly drifted up again. She reached out with her hand, then stopped when her hand touched something solid. She lightly rapped her hand against it. “It's a barrier.”

“A what?” Zelgadiss placed his hand on it as well. “Was it caused by Valgaav activating the weapons?”

“I don't know. Amelia?”

“I can try, but I can't keep the Raywing spell going if I'm going to put too much energy into this.”

“I've got you.” Zelgadiss hesitated a moment, then wrapped an arm firmly around Amelia's waist. His cheeks promptly went red. “Um… You can release your spell now.”

“Thank you, Zelgadiss-san.” Her own face red, Amelia released the spell and placed both hands on the barrier. She closed her eyes, startling slightly when Lina added her own support to keep her steady in the air. She drew on her shrine maiden training, detecting the type of barrier. She frowned. “It's not a barrier that I've ever seen before. I'm not sure if this will even work.” She drew in a deep breath. “ _Flow Break.”_

Lina saw a visible shimmer along the barrier, but it held fast. She kept one arm around Amelia's back and placed her other hand on the barrier. “Airlord's power will help me to form a barrier, not break it.”

“Could you try blasting it with raw power?” Zelgadiss asked.

“I can try.” An idea sprang into Lina's mind. “Or…we can utilize the one weapon we have at our disposal.” She let go of Amelia and flew toward the ground.

Amelia peered over Zelgadiss's shoulder as Lina faded into the distance. “I wonder what sort of idea she has?” She startled, noticing that Zelgadiss's arm was still around her waist. “Umm…Zelgadiss-san?”

“Hmm?” He glanced down, then jumped slightly when he realized where his arm still was.

Amelia smiled and recast her spell, settling on Levitation this time. She slipped out of his hold. “Thank you for helping me, Zelgadiss-san.”

“Ah, sure.” Zelgadiss sighed in relief when he heard the sound of bickering coming from down below. He glanced down and saw Filia flying in her dragon form toward them, Lina and Gourry on her back squabbling with each other over the fact that he had to leave the ground to begin with. When they reached the barrier, Filia rolled her eyes skyward and he choked back a laugh.

“I'm not going to risk my only sword on some fool's mission!” Gourry complained, holding the Blast Sword protectively. “Why don't you use your god power to break the barrier?”

“I will…if this doesn't work. Come on, Gourry!” Lina tugged at his arm.

“No,” he said firmly.

She gritted her teeth. “Do it, or else…” She proceeded to give a series of threats that caused Gourry's already pale face to go sheet white and Zelgadiss to wince and nearly cross his legs in reflex. “…got it?”

Gourry didn't say anything, but glared at her instead. “Fine then. I'll do it on one condition.”

Lina folded her arms over her chest. “What's that?”

“That you talk to Filia and Shizuri. I know you haven't done it yet.”

Lina winced. So maybe the subject of the prophecy had eluded her for the past couple of weeks. After all, they were occupied doing other things, right? Lina stared at the sword, then at Gourry's angry face and sighed. “Fine. I'll talk to them tonight. Now, do it. Please?”

His heart softened at the “please.” Gourry shakily got to his feet and faced the barrier. He reached out, tapped his hand against it, then reared back with his sword arm. He slammed the blade against the barrier. It sunk in slightly, then recoiled. Gourry slid back and Lina grabbed his arm before he could fall off Filia's back.

As soon as he was steady, Gourry whirled around on her. “I _told_ you that a sword can't break a magical barrier! What if the blade had broken?”

“Relax, Gourry! It's the Blast Sword! It can cut through almost anything, weren't you listening a few days ago? I want to try one more thing. Hold out your blade.” Lina tapped her foot as he hesitated, then finally extended the blade toward her. Lina rubbed her hands together and started to chant the Fireball spell. Gourry eyed her warily, then yelped when a fireball formed in her hand and she hurled it at the sword. He ducked and the spell shot past him and into the barrier where it dissipated harmlessly.

He shot to his feet. “Why the hell did you try to fireball my sword?”

“I wasn't trying to break it!” Lina yelled back. “Part of the sword's ability is when you infuse it with magic, it becomes sharper!”

“Couldn't you do it with something less deadly?”

“Sure…if I wanted to use the Blast Sword to slice through melted butter. Now, hold out the blade again!”

Gourry was furious. Lina could see the anger simmering beneath the surface, so potent that Zelgadiss and Amelia were holding their breath. With a tight-lipped expression, Gourry held out the sword once more and Lina cast another fireball toward it. The spell hit the blade, then wrapped itself around it. It shimmered slightly, then gave off a slight glow as the metal absorbed the spell.

“Amazing,” Amelia breathed and Zelgadiss nodded, equally fascinated.

Some of Gourry's anger had changed into wonder when he realized that Lina wasn't trying to fool him. She lobbed a few more fireballs at the weapon. She didn't want to risk anything stronger while they were in midair. Gourry turned back to the barrier, grit his teeth, and slashed at the barrier. The blade penetrated the barrier, then held fast.

Then the barrier started to suck it in.

“My sword!” Gourry yelled and grabbed the hilt. He pulled back as hard as he could, but the weapon refused to budge and slipped further into the barrier.

Lina yelped and grabbed his waist, adding to the pull. “Filia, don't move!”

“It's kind of hard not to!” Filia cried as she was pulled closer to the barrier.

Zelgadiss wrapped his hand above Gourry's on the hilt and started to pull as well. Amelia hovered above him, eyes wide with shock. She quickly landed on Filia's back, causing the dragon to grunt from the extra weight. “I'm sorry, Filia-san!” Amelia hastily said. She reached above Gourry and Zelgadiss's hands and placed her hand against the flat of the blade. “ _Flow Break!_ ”

The blade released, sending Lina and Gourry flying backwards and landing in a heap on Filia's back. Amelia cast her Levitation spell once more and quickly moved off of Filia. Lina got to her knees and scowled at the barrier. “Well, looks like we won't get in that way. Let's go back down.”

As soon as they hit the ground, Gourry shot an angry look at Lina and stalked out of the chamber. She sighed, started to go after him then hesitated.

Shizuri placed a hand on her hip. “We heard the shouting. What's wrong with him?”

“Nothing,” Lina said in a voice that warned them not to argue with her. She turned and saw Zelgadiss, Amelia and Filia all giving her slightly annoyed looks. She raised her hands in the air and allowed them to fall. “Look, I didn't know the barrier was going to try to _eat_ the sword. I'm just going off of what I know. Sheesh, I've tried much riskier things with him and he didn't bat an eye.” She stared up at the barrier. “In any case I don't think we're going to have much luck getting through it, not right now. It probably requires the fifth weapon. Let's start making our way down to that Ancient Dragon temple.”

——-

Xelloss faded into view and stared at the four weapons glowing slightly in their ports. With a purposeful stride, he approached the Sword of Light and reached for the hilt.

“If you remove that, you'll destabilized the gateway.”

Without flinching, Xelloss glanced up at Almayce. “Almayce-san. You have recovered from your injuries from what I heard.”

“I will always carry this reminder of my actions.” Almayce rolled the shoulder where his arm was once attached. “I released myself from my healing chamber before it was time and suffered from it. What is your role here, Mazoku?”

“I'm here on a business matter. You understand the delicate interworkings of governmental affairs,” Xelloss said easily.

“Those interworkings involve retrieval of the Darkstar weapons for yourself?” Almayce scoffed. “The gateway has been opened and was barely closed in the nick of time. Removal of even one of those weapons at this point will destabilize things to the point where Darkstar will enter this world. Without the fifth weapon to bring him down, he will destroy it without thought.”

Xelloss lifted cool eyes to meet Almayce's. That did change the nature of the game. Somewhat. “I have my orders, Almayce-san. Don't think I won't hesitate to fight you if you refuse to let me carry them out.”

“Are the subordinates of Shabrangidu trying to summon Darkstar for themselves?”

Xelloss froze. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Almayce narrowed his good eye. “Ceiphied split the Dark Lord Shabranigdu into seven pieces before sinking into the Sea of Chaos. One of those pieces are sealed into the mountains north of here. A second was destroyed a couple years ago by Lina Inverse. I am aware of these actions. Do those that remain wish for Darkstar to aid them in taking over this world?”

“You can see that the summoning of Darkstar to this world is a concern of ours as well.”

“Forget the politics,” Almayce raged. “Do you have so little disregard for this world yourself? My world is on the brink of annihilation. Are you willing to do the same thing to yours? He will not work with the fragments of Shabranigdu. Instead, he will take down this world and those pieces along with it!”

Xelloss hesitated and opened his mouth to speak when a musical voice filtered through his thoughts. **_He is right, my priest. You, as always, have performed your duties in an excellent fashion. We have heard communications from those fragments left behind. They do not want Darkstar's dominance._**

**_But our goals, My Lady…_**

**_Our goals will still be met. We are Mazoku. We know when to use things to our advantage. You, especially, are skilled at this my Trickster Priest._**

A smile tugged at the corner of Xelloss' lips. **_My skills are always performed in service to you, My Lady._**

**_Then see to it now. Form a truce with Almayce and we will proceed from here. If there is a way we can work things out to our advantages…well, truces are always made to be broken._**

Xelloss inclined his head briefly. **_As you wish, My Lady._**

**_I grow tired from this method of communication. See me as soon as possible._**

_Of course._ Xelloss turned his attention back to Almayce. “My orders are to ensure the stability of this world by whatever means possible,” he said easily, hoping he gave off the sense that he was thinking over Almayce's words instead of communicating with Zelas Metallium. “I believe that we can work together on this.”

Almayce relaxed slightly. “We must find the fifth weapon.”

“If I have learned anything in the past, it is easier to let others do the work for you whenever possible.” Xelloss offered him a small smile. “Lina-san and her group are heading to the very temple I had planned to investigate next. Why not let them uncover the weapon for us while we prepare for the final showdown?”

Almayce nodded. “Very well. We must also locate Valgaav's whereabouts.”

“A sentiment I agree with completely. But for now, I must return to my mistress's side.” Xelloss gave the Overworlder a courtly bow, then teleported away to Wolf Pack Island.

——-

_Three Days Later_

Although she didn't play it that often, Lina was familiar with the rules of chess. She knew a stalemate when she saw one. She was currently engaged in one with her partner and she honestly had no idea why.

Filia estimated that it would take close to a week to get to the Ancient Dragon temple. In the three days since they revisited the gateway and tried to pass through the barrier, Gourry had barely spoken to her. He was often looking at her, she realized, with a tight-lipped expression that she had seen a few times before. It stung even worse when she found herself rooming with Filia, Shizuri and Amelia whenever they managed to reach an inn.

The thing was, Lina couldn't understand exactly why Gourry was so angry with her. She thought it had started at the gateway, but the more she thought about it, he had started acting strange when they were recovering from the battle. It started the day they had gone over the battle itself. After being talkative during the discussion, he had suddenly fallen silent and hadn't said much for the rest of the evening. Lina was quite certain that they had overloaded his brain and he was trying to process everything.

Then came the visit to the gateway. When Lina had flown down to retrieve Gourry, he had insisted that the sword couldn't cut through the magical barrier. Okay, maybe she should had taken him a bit more seriously. He was an airhead, but he knew his stuff when it came to swords and the role of a swordsman in battle. Gourry had been right all along, there was no sword that she knew of that would cut through a magical barrier. The closest candidate would be the Blast Sword. Lina actually wanted to try it out on some lesser barriers. She was pretty sure it could cut through those. The Blast Sword couldn't cut through the barrier created by the weapons because they were created from the power of a dark lord. That was her best theory regarding the matter.

Lina picked up the map leading to the Ancient Dragon temple and tried to focus on it. If Milgazia was right, the weapon would be in that temple. They could take it use it to get through the barrier and retrieve the other four weapons. With all of the weapons combined, they could easily take down Valgaav. She sighed. Then there was Darkstar. Would removing the weapons cause the gate to reopen? She wasn't comfortable with the idea of handing them to Almayce. And what was Xelloss's role in this?

What was wrong with Gourry?

_Think, Lina, think. You've got bigger issues than a grumpy jellyfish_ , she ordered herself. Lina smoothed the map on the table once more and stared at the island where the gateway was. It was an idea that she had rejected earlier, but maybe they really could destroy one of the weapons. It would eliminate anyone from using all of them and would leave only Valgaav to deal with.

She didn't notice Filia at first and did a double take when she saw that the priestess had seated herself across the table from her. “What's wrong, Filia?”

“I figured now would be a good time for us to talk,” Filia suggested and Lina looked around. Most of their party and other inn patrons had retired to their rooms. They were the only ones left in the dining room. Amelia and Shizuri stood in the hall, mumurming in low voices. Shizuri nodded to Amelia before walking into the dining room. She strode toward the table and took the chair next to Lina's.

Lina eyed both of them with growing suspcion. “What is this?”

“We've come to a vote,” Shizuri announced. “We're kind of sick of you and Gourry enacting your own version of the Kouma Sensou.”

Lina scowled. “He started it!”

“Maybe. But, he did ask something of you and I have a feeling that you've been stalling about it,” Filia explained as she produced a pot of tea from her robes. She set it on the table, followed by a plate of cookies. “Now that we're comfortable, what do you have to ask the two of us about?”

Lina flinched. She hoped that Filia hadn't heard what Gourry had said. At the time he suggested it, it _had_ sounded like an excellent idea. It'd been enough to get her to forget about Luna's interpretation for awhile. Her sister's words had started to drift back after the battle at the gateway, but Lina did her best to ignore it and the nagging internal voice that told her to have this exact conversation with Filia and Shizuri. She shrugged and gave them a bright smile. “It's nothing much. Just wanted to go over some theories with you. It can wait until after we find the final weapon.”

Filia and Shizuri exchanged pointed looks. “Lina-san, I think whatever problem that Gourry-san has with you is due to what he asked of you.”

Lina got to her feet and slammed a hand on the table. “Look, I don't want to deal with this right now. We've got bigger worries. We've got to find the final weapon, do something about Valgaav, convince Almayce that maybe there's some other way to deal with Darkstar, deal with your elder, figure out what the hell Xelloss is doing and all without getting ourselves killed. As for Gourry, whenever he wants to take the stick out of his ass, then that's his deal. I'm going to bed.”

She whirled around, intending to march upstairs, and had taken two steps when she realized that Gourry was standing in the entrance to the dining room. His eyes were hooded and were so filled with hurt that she flinched. She sucked in a breath and strode past him, trying her best to ignore the little knives that were stabbing her heart.

She was nearly to the stairs when he spoke. “If you don't tell them, I will.”

_What?_ Lina nearly tripped over the bottom step. She grabbed the railing and faced Gourry's rigid back. “You wouldn't!”

“I would.” The look he shot over his shoulder was both sad and furious and she froze. “I'm not going to sit by and watch you kill yourself because you're too proud to ask for anyone's help. I promised to protect you for the rest of my life, even if it's from yourself.”

The blood roared between her ears and anger rolled in the pit of her stomach. Fury mixed with the sick feeling of betrayal and she knew there was no way out of this. She shoved past Gourry and retook her seat at the table. Without saying another word, Gourry took the seat beside her. Lina nearly scooted her chair away, but decided that it was a bit too childish.

“I want to know what you two think of the prophecy,” she said in a neutral voice. “Your personal interpretations of it. You both are in service to the gods, you've received training in this.”

Shizuri held up a finger. “Not exactly. I never entered formal training.” She closed her eyes and shook her finger slightly. “I can give you my opinion, but I wouldn't put stock in it the way I would Filia's. After all, she's the one who brought up the prophecy to begin with.”

Filia flushed slightly. “What I brought you was my Elder's interpretation of the prophecy. Since I've met you, Lina-san, I've started to consider my own.”

“And what is that?”

Filia folded her hands in her lap. “Well, before I convinced the Elder that you were the right one to fulfill it in place of Luna-san, I had to convince myself. I wasn't quite there yet, but when you displayed your powers, I realized that the prophecy never talked about Luna-san at all. It was about you the entire time.”

The dread that she had managed to bury since the talk with Luna was back. Lina swore silently at her sister, wishing that she had gone into this situation blind. It would had been better than sitting back, waiting for the ax to drop.

“We know that the controller of a Darkstar is now Valgaav,” Filia continued. “I was wavering between Almayce and Valgaav, but the prophecy has to refer to Valgaav himself.”

“He's going to try to open the gate again, isn't he?”

Lina nodded to Shizuri. “Oldest villain cliche in the book. He's insane, he wants revenge, he's pissed, so on and so forth. I'd eat my headband if he didn't attempt to finish what he started.”

“I'm wondering about Almayce myself,” Shizuri replied. “He sounds determined to summon Darkstar no matter what. If he does and the weapons don't work, we're finished.”

“That brings me to the next part of the prophecy,” Filia said. “Following the power between light and darkness, a single star shall be awakened. The rest of the prophecy refers to the power that the single star has. The Elder thought it meant the Knight of Ceiphied, which is why I was sent for Luna-san. But she isn't a magic-user, and I believe that the prophecy refers to it.”

Shizuri thought it through. “The power between light and darkness, darker than twilight and brilliant beyond the dawn. The single star is whoever can control those powers.”

“Exactly. It didn't hit me myself until Lina-san started to cast the Giga Slave. I knew about it, of course, but I didn't realize it until then. She can draw upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares, Airlord and the Dark Lord Shabranigdu. There's no other human alive that knows how to do this, especially since Holy Magic was lost to your lands when the Mazoku barrier was erected.” Filia directed her last sentence to Lina. “So I think your powers, combined with that of the weapons, must be used to bring down Darkstar.”

Lina closed her eyes and turned the information over in her mind. It had been similar to Luna's interpretation, but not quite. “Do you think I would have to draw upon any of those powers simultaneously?”

Shizuri nearly jumped out of her chair. “Are you crazy? Do you realize the chance of losing control over such a massive amount of power could possibly do to you? Remember what Oren said, if you're not careful with the gods power, you'll kill yourself. Imagine trying to combine that with Shabranigdu's or the Lord of Nightmares!”

“I'm fully aware of that, Shizuri,” Lina said through gritted teeth.

Filia looked at Lina, then at a stone-faced Gourry, then back at Lina. “You said you mentioned that you had talked to Luna-san. Is that her interpretation of the prophecy, that you would have to use both powers at once?”

“Yes,” Lina snapped at her. “But, as someone decided to tell me a couple weeks ago, there's different interpretations for prophecies. We just had more important things to deal with at the time. Besides, prophecies don't necessarily have to come true, right? I don't want my life to be dictated for me by the vague words of some idiot Elder who had his own priestess cast out of her temple.”

“The thing about prophecies is that they almost always come true.” Filia's voice was cold now as she bristled about her own disgrace. “Otherwise we wouldn't take heed of them in the first place. I do think you're correct, Lina-san, in that whatever role your power plays in the fulfillment of the prophecy isn't of importance yet. We need to find the final weapon before we can proceed any further with things.”

_Yay, score one for me._ Lina shot a furious look at Gourry, who had remained silent through the entire talk. His eyes were slightly unfocused. Her hands clenched into fists. If he had spaced out during this entire conversation that he had started to begin with, she was going to pound him sometime into next week.

Shizuri and Filia stared at the couple, then exchanged knowing looks and pushed back from the table. They didn't want to be around when the explosion occurred. “We're going to bed,” Shizuri announced. “If you're going to scream at each other, just do it in a manner that won't get us thrown out of this inn, okay?”

They were alone. Lina closed her eyes and took in her surroundings using just her sense of smell and hearing. She heard the remains of the fire crackling in the hearth and a light scratching from the walls. There was probably a mouse behind the boards. She could smell the faint smoke from the hearth and the clove oil that the man sitting beside her used so often on his weapon that it was more comforting to her than any sort of cologne.

“Why did you do that?” It was a loaded question and the only one she could think of at the moment. “Why did you force this?” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and startled. The anger was gone now and he stared at the table looking so sad and lost that she wanted to hug him.

“I wanted to protect you.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I was worried before, but it didn't seem so bad, you know. You said you were going to be fine, and I thought that everything would be fine. Then Zel and Amelia told us what that Almayce guy said and I thought about it for a long time. I don't get everything that's going on, but I do know this much.” He looked at her and her eyes went wide when she saw tears shimmering in his. “I realized that your sister might be right after all and because you hadn't talked to Shizuri and Filia, I got scared. I don't want to lose you. I love you.”

Her throat tightened. He hadn't said those words to her since that one time they were forced to do so to be freed from the matchmaker's spell. Tears pricked at the back of her eyelids, but she quickly covered the emotion with a casual smile and a wave of her hand. “You're starting to worry too much. Besides, I'm going to be fine. I think you've had too much time to think lately. Filia and Shizuri have a point. We don't have to deal with it yet, so we will when the time comes. We've got too much to do first.”

Giving into impulse, she stood, wrapped her arms around him and simply held on. He relaxed into her embrace and she leaned her head against his. They stayed like that for awhile, not saying anything at all.

She lifted her head and found her lips just inches from his. Because they were there, she kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, one that they needed after what had happened. She kept her arms looped around his neck and he brought one of his behind her back. Before she realized what he planned to do, he had pulled her onto his lap and skimmed his hands up her back and into her hair. He tasted and smelled wonderful and it quickly became apparent that she was having the same effect on him that he did on her.

_When was the last time we did this? Before we got to the gateway_. She tried her best to think, but it was rather hard when a pair of teeth lightly closed over one earlobe and wrecked havoc with her concentration. They couldn't keep going with this, that much was for sure. Granted, it was probably midnight, but they were in the middle of a public dining room. Her body was protesting her brain's logic, especially after he slipped one hand beneath her bandeau and over her breast.

“We can't do this here,” she breathed, but allowed him to remove her bandeau while she wrestled his shirt free so she could touch bare skin.

“Why not?”

She allowed herself one small smack on his shoulder. “Because a certain jellyfish pitched a fit and now we don't have our own room.”

“I don't want to stop.” His lips covered hers and silenced the next round of protests she was about to issue. She tilted her head to one side as the kiss went from gentle to knee shaking in the time it normally took her to cast a fireball. She heard the scrape of the chair and realized that she was now in his arms. He placed her gently on the table and reached for the hooks holding her tunic together.

“What the…we can't do this in here!” she hissed as her tunic fell to the floor, followed by his shirt.

He ignored her. She wasn't exactly stopping him either, not the way her hands moved over his chest and teased sensitive parts of his body. He pulled down the straps of her one-piece and let the fabric pool at her waist as he teased her breasts with both hands, lightly pinching the nipples between his thumb and index fingers as she moaned and thrust against his waist. Her legs were splayed on either side of him and he swore he could feel the heat coming from her.

“Lie down,” he said hoarsely, letting instinct and his own private fantasies guide him at this point. He made quick work of her boots, then reached for her pants and the one-piece, drawing them both off at the same time.

She struggled to focus as his fingers lightly skimmed over the flat of her abdomen and drew small circles around her belly button. Room silencing spell. She had to cast a room silencing spell. She began the chant as his hands smoothed over her waist and hips. It stuttered to a gasping halt when his hand cupped her. He slid one finger between her folds and lightly explored them while he leaned forward and took her breast into his mouth.

_Spell, spell, spell._ Her hands curled into fists as he slipped that finger inside of her and she wanted to scream. She wanted to push him to the ground and fuck him blind. His thumb started manipulating her sex and she grabbed the edge of the table and drew upon all of the self control that she had. Instead of chaos words, all she could managing was breathless little cries that drove them both insane.

His fingers were suddenly gone and he began kissing his way down her abdomen. It gave her the chance that she needed. She started chanting the spell again, focusing on the walls and ceiling as she raced through it with a speed she normally gave to food. She knew she succeeded when the room gave off a blue glow, followed by a slight shimmering. The spell wasn't suppose to shimmer like that, but she quickly chalked that up to the fact that his mouth had replaced his fingers in exploring her intimately.

She couldn't keep quiet any longer. Her hands dug gouges into the table as he did an extremely throughout job at exploring her intimately his tongue before lightly skimming it over her sex. He spread her open wider and used his lips as well. She could feel her release building and wanted him inside of her. She wanted his arms around her, his lips against hers. She wanted to hear his laugh and say something so stupid that she wanted to throttle him. Memories of him flashed through her mind in an instant before she let go with a scream that would had waken up everyone had she not gotten the spell off.

Before she could begin to get her bearings, he shoved her a bit farther onto the table, hands shaking as he fumbled with his belt. She dimly heard the sound of pants falling to the floor before he slid inside of her. Even though she was still giddy from her orgasm, she could feel her body start to react once more. She lifted her head and met his eyes as they began to move in sync. Somehow, they seemed to convey everything that she wanted to say and couldn't. He was her world, the center of her universe. It shook her to the core to realize that, to know that he had worked his way in so deeply that life wouldn't be worth much without him beside her.

She managed to wrap her legs around his waist and ignored her protesting muscles, which were already semi-numb from having dangled off the table for so long. His thrusts grew more powerful and she felt the table shake beneath them and prayed that it wouldn't break from their combined weight. Her hands skimmed down his back, then up into his hair, grabbing fistfuls of it as she fused her mouth to his, muffling his shout as he shook violently and they let go together.

Lina's world slowly came back into focus. She could hear the clock ticking from the main room, then began to chime. Midnight. She heard her shaky breathing and his and closed her eyes. “I should kick your ass for this,” she said in a lazy voice as she combed her fingers through his hair and felt the table sag beneath them. She winced when Gourry settled his full weight on her and the wood cracked. _Geez, we're not that heavy. Crappy workmanship._

Gourry laid his head between her breasts and couldn't come up with the words for why he had wanted to have sex at that point. He had wanted to be with her and it didn't matter where as long as they were alone. Being with her eased the shaky, scared feeling that churned in his gut and grew as the days went by and they got closer and closer to finding the fifth weapon. She was his world and he didn't know what he would do if something ever happened to her. He'd nearly lost her too many times to count and it felt like he needed to seize moments like this and hold onto them as tightly as possible.

——-

“Lina-san? Why aren't you eating with the rest of us?”

Lina flinched and couldn't quite bring herself to meet Amelia's gaze. The princess stood next to the small two-seat table Lina had grabbed for herself after walking into the dining room for breakfast the next morning and seeing the rest of the group, sans Gourry, at the large table she, Gourry, Filia and Shizuri had occupied the previous evening. Somehow, she didn't think Amelia would had appreciated what had occurred on that particular table after Filia and Shizuri had left.

“It's just as well,” Shizuri said and shook the table slightly, jostling the food that had already been brought out. “This table's suddenly gotten rickety. Wasn't like that last night.”

“Shoddy workmanship,” Zelgadiss said and studied the wood. “They probably don't have access to the hardwoods that we do in the north. It's probably giving out due to the amount of food that's been placed on it in the past day or so.”

“Or other things,” Shizuri remarked smoothly and winked at Lina, who promptly choked on a piece of sausage. The illusionist picked up her plate and carried it over to Lina's table. She took the other seat and helped herself to one of the biscuits left in the basket. “You know,” she said casually, “the thing about room silencing spells is that while they do an excellent job at sealing the room against noise leaking out, it still doesn't stop anyone from walking downstairs and seeing some things they probably shouldn't.”

She grinned and took Lina's wide eyes, red face and hung jaw as a sign to continue. “Fortunately, you know a talented illusionist who just happened to come downstairs and knows how to create illusions that not only make a room appear empty, but cause others to not want to go in there for a certain amount of time.” She bit into a biscuit and chewed it throughly. It was a little too doughy for her taste.

“Thanks, Shizuri,” Lina managed and made a mental note to pound Gourry into next week for starting it in the first place. The illusion spell explained the shimmering she had noticed at one point.

“Don't worry. I didn't see enough to give away your privacy, only enough to realize what the two of you were doing.” Shizuri gave her a warm smile that reminded Lina of Luna in a particularly benevolent mood. “Of course, we'll give you two your space from here on out. You deserve all the happiness you can while you can still grasp it.”

Lina's hand froze, piece of bacon in midair. “Do you think…”

“I think any of us can buy it at any time. It doesn't stop us from pursuing our goals, that's the way humans are. I think the prophecy will reveal itself in its own time. If we've learned anything from this and what we've gone through in the past, it's to be true to our own feelings.”

Lina smirked and resumed eating. _I wonder if Shizuri would appreciate meeting Martina? She could create an illusion of that so-called Zoamelgustar. That would be hilarious to see!_ The mental image of Shizuri tormenting Martina with her illusions kept her cheerful throughout the rest of the day.


	24. Loss of Innocence

_Mirlos Prairie  
Two Days Later_

“We're going to have to go on foot from here,” Filia declared as the stunned group stared at their surroundings. Snow-covered, rocky land extended toward a mountain chain. None of them had ever been around this much snow - all of them had been lucky to grow up in moderate climates. They were forced to land when the air had grown so cold that they had trouble breathing. Filia had landed at the first town she spotted, which really wasn't that much of a town. It was a few buildings gathered in a cluster on the frozen tundra.

Lina didn't bother to respond. She bolted for the first building she saw, a large general store. She darted inside, Amelia and Lyos at her heels. Zelgadiss, Shizuri and Filia followed at a more leisurely pace. Gourry was last, looking at the snow with wide-eyed wonder. He hesitated at the door, then headed back to the street. He grabbed several handfuls of snow and started molding it into a ball.

Lina rubbed her arms frantically as she stood in front of the large fireplace. The fire roared, but it still didn't feel hot enough to her. “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this,” she stammered, teeth chattering. “I hate the cold. So hate the cold. I'm going to get Milgazia for this.”

“Lina-san, we all need to go through trials to ensure the safety of the world,” Filia told her in a patient tone.

“I've got enough to deal with without freezing to death!”

Filia merely smiled at Lina before approaching the storekeeper, who had been gawking at the largest group to grace his store since the gold rush 12 years earlier. She exchanged words with him in a language that Lina didn't recognize and he nodded briskly before pulling down objects from shelves. After a few minutes, he had a large pile of winter weather gear stacked on the counter and an equally large pile of food. Filia handed him money and bowed deeply before turning back to the group.

“I realize that few of us are dressed for this weather. These are fur cloaks that'll cover you from head to foot along with mittens to protect your hands. Gourry-san, Zelgadiss-san and Lyos-san will have gloves so they can still use their swords easily.” Filia indicated the pile of stuff. “I also got plenty of food. With any luck, we can be down to the temple and back within the next four days.”

“Four days?” Lina screeched, not at all happy. “You mean you want us to freeze to death for the next four _days_? I've got an idea. You go look for the weapon and we'll stay here.”

Filia placed her hands on her hips and frowned. “Lina-san! We're all going to the temple.”

“It won't be so bad,” Amelia said cheerfully. She pulled a tin from the pile of food. “Look, Lina-san! There's cocoa!”

“As if cocoa's going to make the temperature in this forsaken place any more bearable.” Lina snatched up one of the cloaks and draped it over her shoulders. She grabbed a pair of red mittens and pulled them on. She and Zelgadiss stowed the food away while everyone else dressed. Soon, all that remained was one cloak and a pair of blue gloves.

“Did I get too many?” Filia mused and picked up the last cloak.

“Let's see…” Shizuri counted their group. “Say, where's Gourry?”

“I don't think he came in,” Amelia replied.

Lina grabbed the cloak from Filia and the mittens off the counter. She headed into the snow and sighed when she caught sight of her partner in the playing around like a child. Gourry had created a group of snow people, ignoring the fact that he was wearing short-sleeved clothing in the middle of a snowstorm. His tongue was caught between his teeth as he worked on a thin-shaped snow person. He glanced up, then waved. “Lina! Come see! I'm making snow people of all of us!”

“You're kidding.”

“Nope! See, here's Zel.” Gourry indicated a snowman with rocks protruding from its face. “And there's Filia,” he said, pointing at a snow woman with a long appendage on the ground. “And I'm working on you now. See? I even got the breasts right!” He patted the flat-chested snow woman.

Lina snarled and threw the cloak on Gourry's head before stomping back inside.

——-

Lina shivered and muttered to herself the entire way to the temple. She hated cold weather. She hated hot weather. She would much prefer the temperature to be very moderate with plenty of sunshine. That's why she always fled to different parts of her continent according to the season. If it was cold in the northern lands, it was very nice in the southern. If it got hot there, she'd head back toward the mountains. She was the child of merchants, she knew what it was like to work hard and go against the elements. That didn't mean she had to like it.

She only noticed that they had stopped when she plowed into Lyos. They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. “Get off me, Lina!” Lyos yelped. “What the hell have you been eating lately, rocks?”

Lina shoved him further into the snow as a result. She stood over him, brushing the snow off her hands and making sure the flakes got all over his cloak. “If you hadn't watched where you were going in the first place, I wouldn't had run into you!”

Lyos pulled himself into a sitting position and spat out a mouthful of dirty snow. “If you hadn't been bitching and moaning about the snow this entire time, you could had seen that we had stopped for yourself!”

Lina jabbed her finger at him. “Didn't I treat you to respect your elders better?”

“Since when are you my elder?” Lyos fingered Banisher's hilt. “I'm the Knight of Aqualord!”

“Well, I have Airlord's power!”

“Doesn't make you a knight!”

“Doesn't give you a right to be Mr. Know-It-All!”

“Doesn't give you the right to be a flat-chested overlording bitch who thinks the world revolves around you!”

Lina's temper snapped and she lunged at Lyos, a fireball forming in one hand. “Want to say that again, Lyos?”

“Bring it on!” His eyes darkened with anger and he reached for the only weapon at his disposal. He grabbed a handful of snow and flung it in Lina's face.

“Oh, that's it. You are _so_ dead!” Lina grabbed a handful of snow, quickly molded it into a ball and hurled it at Lyos. “ _Inverse Snowball Attack!_ ”

“Ha!” He rolled over the ground and quickly grabbed a second handful of snow. “ _Aqualord Supreme Snowball Lunge!_ ” he yelled as he pelted Lina with a second, then a third snowball.

“Is this the temple, Filia-san?” Amelia asked, raising her voice over the fight going on behind her. She looked up at the huge domed building that resembled the drawing that Milgazia had showed them. “It looks like the one that Milgazia-san indicated.”

Filia approached a large pillar that stood before the entrance. She didn't reply to Amelia, but instead stared up at the top where a large seal was carved into the stone. A chill went through her body and she placed a hand on the stone and concentrated. A small jolt of power passed from it into her and she jerked her hand away.

“Something wrong, Filia?” Shizuri quickly moved to her side as Filia waved her hand to get the sting out of it.

“No,” she said too quickly, then looked up at the seal. _This symbol…it's from my temple. Why would a seal from the Flarelord temple, that run by Golden Dragons, be here?_

They surveyed the area, the atmosphere growing more foreboding by the moment. Lina and Lyos even stopped with their snowball fight and joined them in gawking at the temple. Wind howled through the valley and rustled chains that dangled from crumbling stone walls. Off to one side lay a huge graveyard with crosses that were at least twice as tall as Gourry was.

They approached the entrance, ice crunching beneath their feet as they walked. The noise was amplified in the stillness and Lina rubbed her arms, now cold for a different reason. “Really quiet, isn't it?” she asked in a quiet voice that the place seemed to demand of them. “Though, I don't see why anyone would build a temple in the middle of an icy area like this!”

“If you had your way, all temples would be built next to a beach with hot springs within walking distance,” Zelgadiss replied.

Lina grinned at him. “I knew you would see things my way, Zel!” He simply rolled his eyes in response.

“Don't be so short-sighted,” Gourry scolded Lina. “Humans aren't the only beings in this world. After all, there's penguins, fish, ghosts, dragons…”

The corners of Lina's mouth quirked before she shot Gourry a nasty look. “Do you have to get stupid at a time like this?”

“I don't know. It made you smile, didn't it?”

Lina rolled her eyes. She would never quite get Gourry's odd sense of humor. “Well, you're probably right on the ghost factor at any rate. I just hope we finally start getting some answers. It feels like we've been running all over the world looking for these weapons,” she said as she marched toward the entrance and ran smack into a barrier. She flew back a few feet, crashing into Gourry and Amelia.

Amelia landed face-first in the snow. “Lina-san!” she said as she spat it out of her mouth. “What are you doing?”

Lina wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at the door. “There's a barrier there. Why do we keep running into these stupid barriers? I swear, they need to create some sort of sword that can cut through them.” She leaned forward and rapped her hand against the barrier. A shimmering effect rippled over the entire temple. “The whole place has been sealed.”

Filia startled and stared back at the seal on the pillar. She strode up to the door and concentrated on the magic that the seal emitted. “The seal…what I saw on the pillar. This seal was placed here by the Golden Dragons.”

“That explains the strange post back that,” Zelgadiss indicated with a jerk of his head.

“So, why would your dragon race want to seal a temple belonging to another dragon race?” Lyos asked.

Filia shook her head and couldn't quite dismiss the growing uneasiness in her stomach. Milgazia's speeches about the Ancient Dragons was starting to make sense and it was doing so in a way that she felt would take her world, turn it completely upside down, then give it a swift kick for good measure.

“Can we break this barrier?” Shizuri asked.

Filia nodded. “Yes. It's not like the ones emitted by the Darkstar weapons. Since this was placed here by my people, I shouldn't have any problems doing so.” She approached the doorway extended a hand toward the barrier, then hesitated. “I once heard a legend about a woman who was given a sealed jar and told never to open it. Curiosity overtakes her and she does so, releasing all of the misfortunes of mankind upon the world.”

“Elmeia's Jar,” Lina murmured. “There's a version of that legend in almost every culture in this world. In some circles, it's a magical seal, in others it's a simple box.”

“Yes.” Filia closed her eyes. “I wonder if this will be the equivalent of opening Elmeia's Jar?”

“If that was the case, I'd say Valgaav has already started it for us by opening the gateway for Darkstar,” Zelgadiss replied. “We've got to see it through now.”

Filia gave him a small smile. “I suppose you're right.” She extended her hands and focused on the barrier, feeling out the intricacies of the barrier. She searched through her mind for the right counterspell and wasn't surprised to realize that it was one of the highest forms of Holy magic known to them, in a school of that magic that she hadn't quite grasped. Praying that she would get it right, she chanted beneath her breath and felt magic form in her hands. The counterspell generated as a flat disc that expanded over the entire temple. Moments later, the barrier shimmered, then broke apart like a glass that had fallen onto a stone floor. The pillar behind them shattered as well, debris raining to the ground.

Lina cheered and clasped Filia's shoulder. “All right! That was great, Filia! Let's get going!” The excitement of exploring the temple quickly filled her and she dashed toward the open door, Amelia on her heels pleading with her to slow down.

She reached a set of double doors and shoved them open, revealing a large chamber that reminded her of the room where she had spoken with the Elder of Filia's temple and his council. They moved through it into a long hallway that had entrances to other chambers. Lina winced and exchanged a knowing look with Zelgadiss. It would easily take them days, if not weeks, to explore each of the chambers throughly. The excitement of finding various treasures warred with the possibility of being stuck in the cold for longer than she ever wanted.

“Hey, there's something ahead,” Lyos said, pointing further down the hall. Lina squinted and saw something embedded in the middle of the floor at the end of the chamber. The object in the floor looked like someone had peeled away the stone and had set a barrier over the center. The texture of the walls was also different from what she could tell, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

Filia also focused her vision, then gasped. She sprinted ahead of the group, racing down the hall toward the object embedded in the ground. She stopped before it and took in the walls, her eyes wide. They surrounded her completely and her body shook violently as it suddenly occurred to her what she was looking at. She pressed her hands to her face, clutching it tightly as she began to scream.

She barely heard the sound of rushing footsteps and drawn swords behind her. Her hands were jerked away from her face and she found herself staring into Shizuri's eyes. “What's wrong?” she demanded.

Filia tried to speak, but shook her head, tears streaming down her face. Lina and the others scanned the halls. Lina felt her stomach turn to ice as she realized what caused Filia's reaction. The walls were filled with dragon skulls, thousands of them. Each one had a wooden stake driven through its forehead. Beside her, Amelia slapped a hand over her mouth as she fought the urge to retch. Gourry and Lyos had gone sheet white and Zelgadiss even surveyed the chamber with a look of horror.

Filia leaned into Shizuri's embrace, weeping violently on her shoulder. Shizuri enfolded her arms around her and stared helplessly at Lina. She placed her hands on Filia's back and wondered what to do. Before she had to chance to figure it out, Zelgadiss pointed to an opening at the end of the chamber. “Look, there's another pillar,” he said. “I bet there's another barrier over that doorway.”

“Why would someone go to this much trouble to seal off a temple?” Gourry wondered.

They didn't have time to wonder over that either. One of the amulets on Filia's wrist began to glow. It shocked her enough to where she was able to regain control over her emotions. She stared dazedly at the amulet as it glowed, then looked up to see that a similar amulet shone from the clawed object in the middle of the floor. A strange voice that reminded her of Xelloss speaking from the Astral plane filtered through the room.

“You who carry Golden Dragon blood and servant of Flarelord. You who are among our ancient enemies, answer us now. Your race murdered our in the name of the gods and hid our remains in our remaining sanctuary in this land of ice. Why have you come to disturb our grave?”

Filia pulled away from Shizuri and got to her feet, her training taking over as she stared at the light that now emitted from the object. “Our race lives to reform those who would prevent peace,” she said in an odd, deadened voice. “There's no way we could have been murderers.”

The skulls surrounding the group began to glow and instinctively they edged toward each other. Gourry, Zelgadiss and Lyos held their swords up, forming a shield of sorts around the girls, who clustered close to Filia.

“You call yourselves protectors of peace?” the voice intoned. “Is not participating in a war an evil act? Is using your might to kill those who disagree with you a just action?”

_It sounds like something Amelia-san would say_ , Filia thought. The light grew brighter, then expanded into a large dome. In the middle of the light stood three transparent figures in human form wearing robes that reminded her of those worn by the elder men in the Flarelord temple. The features of the center man were the most clear. His head was long with a simple cap adorned with a single jewel covering the long white hair that flowed down his back. An equally long beard cascaded down the front of his robes. In one hand, he held a staff that was taller than his body.

He lifted his eyes and bore them into Filia's. “Look well at the truth which time's passage has buried.”

Images of a lake surrounded by green fields with a columned building in the middle started to form behind the dragons. The one standing on the left took over the narration. “With the loss of Aqualord during the Kouma Sensou, the Dragon race desired a new power to keep the Mazoku at bay. That power lay with the one tribe who did not participate in that war. That tribe was us, the Ancient Dragons.”

_That corresponds to what Milgazia-san said,_ Lina thought. _He said that his temple tried seeking help from the Ancient Dragons before Aqualord was ruined and they turned them down for the same reasons._

The third dragon spoke up. “We felt that our joining the battle would only lead to the use of a weapon too powerful to ever be used. We feared that the balance of this world would be upset.”

“New power would only give rise to new destruction,” the middle dragon said. “And so we sealed away the weapon.” Behind him, a domed barrier appeared over the columned building in the lake.”

“Even now, we ask the questions: Why can peace not be attained by not fighting and instead quietly accepting fate?” the second dragon asked.

Filia gasped slightly and Lina frowned. In some ways it was what Filia's elder at the Flarelord temple had wanted. In other ways, it was going a bit too passive. _Like being asked to roll over on your back and wait for a bunch of speeding carts to trample you over. Hell, this even makes Phil's passive stance look desireable!_

“But despite having sealed the weapon away, it was clear that we Ancient Dragons still possessed the power to threaten the world,” the middle dragon said. “The fear among others that we would one day unleash it grew to an unstoppable panic. It was during this time that the Mazoku barrier was erected and sealed the great Golden Dragon Shrine to Aqualord from the rest of the world. Those left on the outside of the barrier, the ones who guaranteed the so-called peace of this world ordered our annihilation.”

This did not surprise Lina one bit. She thought about the way that the Flarelord temple had treated them, how the Elder had been so quick to demand that Gourry forfeit the Sword of Light and then to try and attack them. He hadn't prevented Almayce from trying to take the weapon via force either. She stole a glance at Filia out of the corner of one eye. The priestess nearly resembled the ghosts that spoke to them, her eyes glazed over with shock.

More images passed in front of them, of Golden Dragons slaughtering Ancient Dragons. “Look for yourself at what they did in the name of their justice!” the middle dragon boomed. “And then answer our question!”

A bright flash of light passed through the room. When it settled, the group stood among a field of dragon bodies that stretched as far as the eye could see. The stench of decay, blood, bodily fluids and other hallmarks of war stunk the air so bad that the humans instinctively clasped their hands over their mouths to filter the air. Golden spears pierced through the bodies, nailing them to the snow-covered ground.

In the middle of the bodies sat a young boy clad in threadbare pants. His dirty, aqua-colored hair hung in clumps around him and a small pair of black wings extended from his body. His face was buried in his hands as he sobbed among the corpses.

“Valgaav,” Amelia breathed.

Filia had never felt a connection to Valgaav before now. Curiosity at what he was, yes. A bit of sympathy. But looking at the weeping child, she felt something in her heart shatter. Filia took a step toward the child, then threw up her arms as a barrier suddenly blossomed around her. “Answer our question,” the three dragons demanded together. “Answer our question!” With a great flash they were gone, leaving behind the glowing orb suspended over the strange object in the ground. Filia sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands.

“There's no doubt about it,” Lina said after a few moments. “The Ancient Dragons hid powerful weapon here. It's got to be the final Darkstar weapon.”

“Lina-san!” Amelia turned to her, tears in her eyes. “We've got to do something about Filia-san!”

“No, princess.” Shizuri wrapped an arm around Filia's trembling form and spoke in a quiet, but firm voice. “It's going to sound cruel, but it's something she must come to terms with on her own.” Her eyes lifted, met Lina's. “Isn't that right, Lina?”

She thought of the prophecy, of Luna's words and knew exactly how Filia felt at that moment and nodded.

“She doesn't have to suffer through this alone. No one should.”

Lina shifted her gaze to Gourry's and knew he was thinking about the same thing and wondered if he had felt this helpless about her in the hours following her talk with Luna. “You're both right,” she conceded.

Filia stepped out of Shizuri's embrace and toward the glowing orb. She gently took it and held it close to her chest. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. _Your mission, Filia. Focus on your mission. You can't afford to fall apart now._ Her hand trembled, then steadied. “Only a dragon can break a dragon barrier. Right now, let's just worry about getting the final weapon.”

She stepped toward the second barrier. _I knew that this would be coming, ever since the Elder turned his back on me at the temple. He spoke of the Ancient Dragons in this way. Milgazia-san realized that I would be facing this as well, or at least a degree of this. All I know is for now, I can't afford to let anyone but us to get ahold of the weapons._ The barrier shattered as she passed through.

Shizuri took several quick strides to catch up to her. “Hey,” she whispered, “are you sure you're up to this?”

“I have my duty, Shizuri-san,” Filia said crisply.

Shizuri rolled her eyes at the honorifics. “Come off your high horse, Filia. You're not going to be good to anyone if you don't get your priorities in order fast.”

“Weren't you the one who told me that it would take me time to get through this?” Filia kept her expression neutral, but her words were biting.

“It will.” Shizuri gave a small sigh of exasperation. “But do you realize that this might involve a fight with your Elder?”

Filia closed her eyes for a moment and felt the tangible weight of the amulet signifying her as a priestess of the Flarelord temple on her chest. “He wouldn't had allowed me to come back alive.”

Shizuri blinked, then her jaw dropped. “What?”

“We were to be arrested, remember? The Supreme Elder doesn't care if I'm dead or alive, not if he sent out word for me to be brought in like this. He didn't want me to find out about this.”

“It's not just you,” Zelgadiss commented from Filia's other side. “He could silence just you. It's the rest of us as well.”

“He doesn't want what happened to the Ancient Dragons becoming public knowledge, does he?”

Zelgadiss nodded to Amelia. “With the barrier down and communications reestablished among the other temples, there could be a big backlash. Milgazia-san said that the Aqualord temple in the Kataart Mountains respected the position the Ancient Dragons took during the Kouma Sensou. They wouldn't attack the Flarelord temple, but it would suffer a severe loss of power and prestige - something that it probably wouldn't be able to recover from.”

“Let just worry about this after we find the weapon,” Filia said with a sigh, ignoring the urge to massage her temples. It was too much to think about at the moment. She just wanted to stop, to breathe and to begin to focus on everything. _We're almost to the weapon. Hold out just a little bit longer._

“Say, Lina? I've got a question.”

Lina glanced up at Gourry as they walked side by side down the hall after Filia. “What is it?”

“Remember when I asked who the bad guys were? Do you have an answer for that yet?”

It'd been a good question at the time and it was an even better question now. “Well…,” Lina started to say, then her voice trailed off. Like the previous time, she didn't have an answer. Everybody? Nobody? It wasn't black and white like their other battles. There were so many shades of gray here that it was confusing just to even think about it in a general sense.

Filia led the way into another chamber with circular platform in the middle, also surrounded by a barrier. Filia approached it, then dropped to her knees. Holding the orb against her chest with one hand, she rested the other on the barrier. Both the orb and the barrier began to glow as Filia concentrated on releasing the seal. With a loud whine, the barrier broke down. At the same time, the sound of stone moving echoed through the chamber and they looked up to see the ceiling split apart and open. It reminded Lina of the top of the tower where the gateway was and she realized that they were in the dead center of the Ancient Dragon temple.

The chanting went on and on as Filia moved through the layers of the seal. Sweat trickled down her face, but she didn't stop to wipe it away.

A screeching sound suddenly echoed through the chamber that had everyone wincing. “What the hell was that?” Lyos asked.

“ _Raywing!”_ Zelgadiss yelled and shot toward the opening. As soon as he reached it, he swore and yanked out his sword. “Lina!”

She quickly cast her own Raywing spell and flew toward him. She didn't even make it all the way to the opening before she saw what Zelgadiss did. Hundreds of golden dragons were speeding toward the temple, all armed with spears. “Something tells me that isn't Milgazia-san sending the calvary after us!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A good bit of the Ancient Dragon dialogue comes straight from the original episodes. My original outline had everyone learning about the fate of the Ancient Dragons from Milgazia, but when I rewatched the episode while writing this chapter, I was reminded by how powerful it was. The big change here is Filia's reaction, which will be elaborated on in the next chapter. There's also going to be other significant changes from the original battle that's about to take place and I'll mention those for trivia purposes in the next chapter. For the most part, this runs concurrent to the original episode except that the humans leave Filia to break the barrier and are outside of the temple when most of the next chapter takes place.


	25. Dragon's Blood Spreads and the Power Awakens

Filia wasn't getting through.

She was down to the final layer of the barrier, the thickest one. Every technique on barrier breaking that she'd ever learned flittered through her mind as Filia moved her hands in intricate patterns. The stubborn side of her refused to accept the fact that she couldn't get past the final seal. She had been one of the most-skilled priestess in her temple when it came to barrier removal. There was something familiar to the last barrier, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The main problem with barrier-breaking was that it took a good deal of energy from the person trying to break it. That's why barrier that originated at a point high in the sky were impossible for even talented barrier breakers to remove without having some sort of support. It was why she hadn't attempted to remove the barrier surrounding the gateway. There'd been nothing for her to stand upon and it'd been too far away for her to even try. Another tricky thing about barriers was that while they could be cast and taken down in their dragon forms, the strongest barriers were always erected in human form.

She distantly heard the screeching and froze, recognizing the battle cry. Reality returned with a cold slap as she noticed people flanking into position around her. Gourry, Amelia, Shizuri and Lyos. All of them were staring up at the sky and with a feeling of dread, she slowly looked up. Her heart turned to ice when she recognized the hundreds of dragons carrying emblems of the Flarelord temple. She slowly got to her feet and saw Zelgadiss and Lina hovering just below the opening in the ceiling.

“Did you get it?”

Filia shook her head at Shizuri. “No. Give me a minute and I'll try it again.”

“We may not have a minute if these guys try to attack,” Lyos commented.

Filia started to reply, but was distracted when the barrier started to flare up. She whirled around in time to a man step through it. Her jaw fell when she found herself staring at the stern and furious face of her Supreme Elder. “Sai…Saichoro-sama,” she stammered.

He scanned the group. “So, you've made it this far, Filia.”

“You,” Shizuri hissed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He didn't bother to stare a glance in her direction. “Are you the only people here?”

“Wh…What?” Filia stuttered.

The Elder slammed his staff into the ground and she flinched. “I asked if you were the only people here, Filia! You, Xelloss and the Overworlder!”

“What?” Filia, Shizuri, Amelia, Gourry and Lyos screamed and they whirled around to see Xelloss and Almayce fade into view behind them. In the air, Lina and Zelgadiss both gawked at the appearance of the Mazoku and the Overworlder.

“What do we do from here?” Zelgadiss whispered to Lina.

“Maintain the Raywing for now,” she instructed. “If they start to attack, I can extend my spell around you and you can throw up a shield like we did when Copy Rezo obilivated Sairaag. Amelia can handle a magical shield on the ground and Gourry and Lyos both have weapons that can deal with a Mazoku lord.”

Xelloss gave the Elder a chilling smile. “Supreme Elder! It's been quite awhile since our last meeting. It seems that we have the same question that you have of us. What brings you to this Ancient Dragon temple?”

“Our goal is to preserve the peace in this world,” the Elder intoned, using the words that Filia had heard her entire life. She thought back to what the Ancient Dragons said and shuddered.

“It means that whatever is behind the barrier will upset that delicate balance,” Almayce said. “In that case, you must allow us to see it.” He held up his remaining arm and ice shot out from it, coating and turning it into a deadly spear. The Elder held up his staff and braced himself.

Things were going from bad to worse very quickly, Lina decided as the fight brewed between Almayce and the Elder. Gourry shot a look up at her and she quickly shook her head, knowing he would understand. No attacking either of them unless one of them made a move for their group. Too many questions filled her head to even begin to try to take a guess at them. The key thing now was to make sure that Almayce, the Elder and Xelloss didn't all gang up upon them at once. If Almayce and the Elder were distracted with each other, they could distract Xelloss enough to grab the weapon.

The Elder raised his staff and released a ray of light from it. It shot past Lina and Zelgadiss and through the temple opening. A few seconds passed before the dragons' battle cries faded, then was replaced by the familiar whine of spells being cast. As a collective unit, the dragon army shot rays of golden light toward the temple building, but not through the opening itself. As the spells hit the temple, the building shook violently. Lina quickly grabbed Zelgadiss's arm and extended her Raywing around him as he cast a shield over them. “They're trying to cave in the temple,” he gasped as he focused his spell around them.

On the ground, the humans left behind clustered close together as stones started to fall around them. Amelia closed her eyes and began to chant, praying she could make a shield that could protect them all. A barrier flared to life surrounding herself, Shizuri and Gourry, but it wasn't enough for Lyos or Filia.

“Princess?” Shizuri stared down at her in concern as sweat trickled down her face.

“Lina-san and Zelgadiss-san need to be down here to help me with the shield,” Amelia said, her words slow as she concentrated on the shield. “My magical capacity isn't big enough on my own.”

“I'll help, Amelia-san.” Filia closed her eyes and started chanting her own shield spell. She had nearly completed the incantation when she felt herself be jerked back. She screamed and Lyos whirled around, grabbing for her. He froze when he saw Xelloss with one arm wrapped around Filia's waist, his staff held to her neck. “One move and you're dead, Filia-san,” he hissed. “If any of you try to rescue her, you'll be killed as well.” His gaze flicker to Lina's face, an eyebrow arching in appreciation when she swore fluently in response.

Satisfied that Lina and her group wouldn't do anything for the moment, Xelloss nodded toward the Supreme Elder. “If you would please remove the barrier for us, I would appreciate it. I'm sure that the Flarelord Temple would suffer greatly from the loss of such a talented priestess.”

“I don't care if you kill her,” the Elder replied in words that stabbed Filia's heart. “I won't comply even if you held the life of the Knight of Ceiphied at stake. We will do nothing to endanger the peace of this world!”

_Well, Sis would love to know that this jerk would offer her up as a sacrifice._ Lina concentrated more power into her Raywing spell as the temple shook around them. _Stupid jerk. Doesn't he realize he's doing exactly that! Damn it, if going after him wouldn't put Gourry and the others in danger, I'd kick his ass to the next continent and back._

“I see.” Almayce closed his eye, then angled his arm toward the sky. Lina and Zelgadiss flew out of the way, barely eluding the energy beams he shot through the opening. The attack streamed into the sky and through the dragon army. He calmly turned in a circle, angling the attack so that it neatly sliced through the dragons that surrounded the temple outside like a knife through butter. He angled it in such a way that he avoided hitting the temple ceiling itself.

With a growing horror, Lina and Zelgadiss saw golden dragon corpses rain from the sky, striking the building with the same amount of force as their earlier attacks. On the ground, Filia clasped her hands over her ears as the corpses hit, tears streaming down her face as denial screamed in her head.

One of the dragons crashed close to the edge of the opening, his bloodied head drooping through the hole. Blood coated its throat and rained onto the group below. His eyes cracked open and he stared at Lina and Zelgadiss. “We have pledged our lives to do our duty,” he gasped, “to serve the Flarelord temple faithfully and protect the peace of this world.” His strength gave out and his eyes clouded over with death. The body fell into the temple, landing on the other side of the dome.

If the Supreme Elder had wanted to make his point, he couldn't had chosen a better moment to take advantage of it. “No matter what happens, I will not hand over the final weapon to you,” he intoned, then his gaze shifted to Filia. “Or to you.”

The realization suddenly hit Lina. _The bastard! He knew that the final weapon was here all along!_ Xelloss glanced upward briefly and gave her a brief nod. It appeared he had suspected the same thing as well. The other four weapons were beyond the Elder's reach thanks to the Mazoku barrier, but he knew where the fifth one had been all the time.

“If you don't wish to break the barrier, I'll force you to do so,” Xelloss said pleasantly.

“Useless. We servants of the Gods cannot break this final barrier. This barrier was cast by the Ancient Dragons themselves. They sealed it and turned against our most Holy temple, away from those who serve the gods. We destroyed them in a gesture of protection before they could take away what peace we had found after the Kouma Sensou. We left this weapon here and cast many more barriers to ensure that it would not be detected, even after the original four were discovered in the lands contained within the Mazoku barrier. We did this to protect the peace of the world.”

“You're lying!” Filia shrieked and felt Xelloss's hold on her relax slightly. “You're lying, I can see it in your eyes! Milgazia-san hinted that something was wrong and we know the truth! They were killed because they refused to fight for you! They didn't want to give you the weapon so you killed them!”

“Silence, Filia!”

“I will not be silent!” She trembled as power welled up inside of her. “You have no control over me! You lost that power the moment you turned your back on me after we fought Almayce at the temple. The Ancient Dragons hid the weapon here because they didn't want _you_ to get it!”

Shizuri cracked a smile. _Go, Filia! You might be finding your answer sooner than I realized._

“You're very perceptive, Filia-san,” Xelloss said. “I believe that the Ancient Dragons realized what your Elder would do should he had gotten his hands on the weapon.” He released Filia and pushed her toward Amelia's barrier. She stumbled and Lyos caught her arm and steadied her.

“Since apparently only someone with Ancient Dragon blood running through them can break the barrier, we must figure a way around it.” He stepped toward the Elder, extending his staff as he did so. “I find it highly unlikely that you'll just sit here quietly. The chances of that are up there with the chances that Lina-san won't use a Dragon Slave in a major battle. Since all know her vast love of that spell, it's safe to say that you are a threat.”

Lina grunted at that remark.

“I think that I need to eliminate my obstacles quickly,” Xelloss said smoothly and allowed his gaze to sweep over the room before resting on the Elder once more, his staff starting to glow. “Then I will have adequate time to solve this little puzzle. Oh, and I wouldn't call what remains of your little army. You and I are both aware of my track record during the Kouma Sensou. In fact, I'm feeling a bit rusty in that department lately. I've been benevolent toward golden dragons for too many years.”

Xelloss released his attack and the Elder dodged it. He flew with ease to the opposite side of the barrier and transformed into his full dragon form. The beast easily took up a good portion of the room and was at least twice the size of Filia when she was transformed. He lifted his head, barely missing Lina and Zelgadiss who had moved closer to the opening. Then he launched a spell at Xelloss - and the humans who were close to him.

“Gourry!” Lina screamed, knowing they wouldn't have time to get out of the way.

“Amelia!” Zelgadiss yelled and knew that no matter how powerful she was, she couldn't cast a shield spell that strong.

As soon as the Elder had taken a breath, Amelia knew what was going to happen and that she wouldn't be able to hold a shield at her current magical capacity. A quick memory flashed, that of Zelgadiss taking Gourry's hand and linking magical capacities.

“ _You have quite the sizable magical capacity there, Gourry."_

She didn't bother to second guess herself. Quick as a flash, Amelia whirled around, grabbed his arm and extended a magical link toward him. His eyes met hers as something broke past a wall inside of him and it felt like the time Zelgadiss wanted to test his magical capacity. Amelia shuddered as she felt her magical capacity link with Gourry's, then extended her free hand outward, using the combined magical capacities to strengthen the shield.

The Elder's transformation had shaken Filia from her stupor. When the Elder reared back his head, Filia leaped in front of the small group of humans and quickly cast a secondary shield just as the attack missed Xelloss and slammed into the barrier. It wasn't a strong one by dragon standards, but just enough to deflect the spell from hitting Amelia's barrier and the humans. The spell shattered the barrier and Filia flew backwards. Lyos caught her before she hit the ground.

“Amelia's using Gourry's magical capacity to help her with her shield,” Lina quickly deduced. “We've got to get them out of there.”

“Even if we go down now, we risk only saving two of them and hope that Filia's shield can protect the rest,” Zelgadiss replied, knowing without question the two they would save first.

They didn't have long to figure out what to do next. Xelloss and the Elder quickly took to the air and Xelloss shot them a look that clearly said for them to get down while they still could. Amelia and Filia released their shields as Lina and Zelgadiss hit the ground and rejoined them.

Amelia crumpled to the ground, exhausted. She pressed a hand to her chest, gasping air before she felt the cool wash of the Recovery spell sweep over her. She looked up and into Zelgadiss's concerned eyes. “Thank you, Zelgadiss-san,” she said with a shaky smile. “I've never tried linking to another person's capacity before. I learned how when I was studying to be a shrine maiden, but didn't think of it until Lina-san asked you to test Gourry-san's capacity. I knew from your comments that it had to be pretty big, so it was the only thing I could think to do.”

“You did well, Amelia,” Zelgadiss praised her and she flushed slightly from the complement. “If I'd been in the same situation, I would had done the same thing.”

“In any case, we need to decide what to do next and fast.” Lina scanned over her group. Other than Amelia's exhaustion and Gourry looking slightly pale-faced from having his capacity tapped into, they were all unharmed. “We've got to break the barrier.”

“Useless,” Almayce spoke up and they stared at him. He gestured at the barrier. “The Supreme Elder got it wrong. What covers the weapon isn't an Ancient Dragon barrier.”

Filia's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. “No wonder it felt familiar,” she said and turned to Lina. “The magic I sensed from the barrier. I thought it was familiar, but thought that it was magic from the Ancient Dragons. It's not! The magical signature is like the Sword of Light's!”

Almayce nodded to her. “You are correct, dragon priestess. The Ancient Dragons have taken the power of Galvayra and inverted it to create a barrier.”

“Then they layered their own barriers on top of it, the ones that you got through,” Lina deduced. “That's why you couldn't detect that weapon even after the Mazoku barrier fell.”

Almayce closed his eye and a look of pain flashed over his face. “At this rate, the only thing that will break it is Darkstar weapons currently holding the gateway closed. The magic of your world will not affect it.”

“What?” Lina cried.

“You mean that thing's still opened?” Lyos asked.

“It explains the barrier we found when we went back to the gateway,” Zelgadiss said.

“It is sealed, but it won't hold for long since the gateway was already opened once.” Almayce gave Lina a serious look. “I want to make a deal with you, Lina Inverse. You have turned me down once before, but hear me out now. There have been too many sacrifices already.”

“You say that, but you didn't bat an eye when you took down hundreds of golden dragons just a few minutes ago,” Lina seethed, her heart aching when she heard Filia's gasp behind her. “Sorry, but we're past the deal-making part of the program.” She surveyed her group and knew that they were completely on their own. “Filia and Lyos, you two go for Almayce. Gourry, you and the others keep Xelloss and the Elder occupied. Buy me some time!”

Filia angled her hands over her chest amulet, quickly chanting the words for Chaotic Disintegrate and launched the attack at Almayce. It hit whatever barrier he had erected around him. Lyos whirled Banisher in the air and sprang toward the Overworlder, aiming for the arm that Lina had cleaved off. Almayce swung his arm up to deflect the sword while Filia quickly teleported behind him to cast the spell once more. Almayce blocked Lyos in a swift move before barely erecting a barrier in time to ward off Filia's second spell.

A few feet away, Shizuri began transfiguring debris into illusions of giants that aimed toward the Elder. The beasts raised giant hammers and brought them down toward the dragon. She smirked when he flinched and was actually hit by the raining debris when the illusions faded. _He's never seen illusionary magic, which means he'll fall for whatever attacks I send his way. It'll be enough of a distraction to keep him out for a little while at least._

Xelloss landed a few feet from Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadiss. Amelia charged toward him, going into full justice mode. She struck her infamous pose and stared down the Mazoku. “We've been comrades in the past, but this time you've gone too far! Xelloss-san, I'm going to take advantage of your weakness!”

“Oh?” Xelloss lifted an eyebrow.

Amelia pressed a hand to her chest, took a deep breath and started chanting in a lilting voice. “Life in wonderful! Living is marvelous! The world's overflowing with light and joy!”

Gourry and Zelgadiss stared at Amelia for a moment, dumbfounded as she proceeded to launch into a rousing song of the beauty and joy in the world as Xelloss dropped to his knees and clasped his hands to his ears. Then they stared at each other. “So,” Gourry suggested, thumbing at Shizuri and the Elder, “why don't we help out Shizuri?”

“Good idea,” Zelgadiss agreed and they fled.

Lina stood before the barrier and ran through her options. Life seemed to be nothing but one big barrier to her lately. She placed her hands on her hips and tuned out the battle going on around her. Her friends could handle them without her help. They were all extremely strong in their own way. It would all be for nothing if she couldn't figure out how to break through the barrier.

It required a power stronger than the Darkstar weapons if what Almayce said was true and the final barrier was being formed by the actual weapon. She knew the Blast Sword wouldn't work, nor would drawing upon Shabranigdu's or Airlord's power. An amplified Dragon Slave channeled through the Sword of Light would possibly work, but that weapon was currently an ocean away. Luna's words came back to her and she quickly put them out of her mind. _It's not time yet._

A memory came back to her, of the one thing that had broken through a powerful barrier during a desperate time when she had to save Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadiss and Prince Phil. Lina nearly smacked her forehead when it came to her. _Why didn't I think of this when we were trying to access the gateway? Oh, that's right, Gourry was pitching a fit because we nearly lost the Blast Sword. Gah, what a jellyfish!_

Pushing aside her annoyance for the moment, Lina extended her hands. “You, who is part of the Lord of Nightmares. You, who is released from universe, a freezing black blade of darkness. Be my power, be my arm. Together we walk on the path of destruction, crashing down the soul of Gods!” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, then lifted them. “ _Ragna Blade!”_ she yelled as the massive sword formed in her hands.

All of the battles ceased as Lina's spell took shape. “That spell,” Almayce gasped and winced at the phantom pain as he remembered what it felt like to be cut with that sword.

“It makes sense,” Zelgadiss said as he remembered how Lina had used the spell to cut through the Astral plane. “That spell calls upon a power higher than the gods or the dark lords. We should had used it to break down the other barrier. It can slice through Darkstar's power.”

“How did we forget about that?” Lyos asked Filia. “Lina did the same thing at your temple when she relieved Almayce of his arm.”

“I don't think it occurred to any of us until now,” she replied.

Lina felt the power start to escape her control and for a brief moment considered tapping into the powers she was granted by Airlord to fuel it. With a mental scream of denial, she slammed the blade into the barrier and felt it give. She braced herself, felt her power start to give out. She channeled all of her will into keeping the sword formed and just as it started to break apart, the barrier fell.

She hit the ground gasping and choking up blood. Her vision clouded and in front of her she could barely see a bow-shaped weapon made of light upon a platform. She started to rise, then stumbled. A pair of strong arms grasped her and she tried to push them away. “The weapon,” she gasped when a white and gray figure she recognized as Zelgadiss stepped in front of her. “Get the weapon.”

Zelgadiss sprinted toward the platform as Amelia knelt next to Lina and started a Recovery spell. Lina looked behind her expecting to see Gourry, but was surprised to find that Lyos had been the one to catch her. The young man shifted aside when Gourry knelt down next to her and she relaxed into his hold.

Zelgadiss held up the weapon and Almayce's eyes went wide. “The final weapon, Galvayra,” he breathed.

“If that thing's suppose to be a bow, where's the arrows?” Shizuri wondered.

Lyos quickly looked over his shoulder and saw Almayce's ice-covered arm suddenly extend toward Zelgadiss. “Look out!” he yelled and shoved Amelia to the ground. Gourry quickly angled his body over Lina's, pushing her beneath him as Almayce's extended arm shot over their heads. It streamed past Zelgadiss and plunged into the heart of the transformed Elder. The dragon screamed in pain before crumpling to the ground. Almayce gave a twist of his arm and yanked it from the Elder, dragon's blood spraying over all of them.

Filia's glassy eyes took in the sight of her temple's elder as the life ebbed from him. _Dragon's blood shall spread and following the power between light and darkness, a single star shall be awakened._ She approached him and stared down as his mouth, watched his breath wheeze out.

“Tell me why I shouldn't let you die,” she whispered. “You were willing to sacrifice me and the entire temple for your so-called peace.”

The Elder lifted his head slightly. “You will attend to me,” he ordered in a breezy voice.

Tears pricked at the corner of Filia's eyes. _He walked away from me. He was going to kill me. But…_ She placed her hands above his wounds and started chanting a healing spell.

On the other side of the room, Almayce sprang over them all and landed a few feet away from Zelgadiss. “For the good of both worlds, I can't let you have that!”

Zelgadiss raised the weapon confidently. “Light, come forth!” he yelled and a bow string formed between the two ends of the weapon, an arrow notched in it. He drew the bow string back and sighted down Almayce. He knew next to nothing about archery, but figured that as long as he hit, the damage would be enough. He released the attack. It skimmed Almayce's good arm, shot out the opening in the temple ceiling and into the sky. A hole formed in the dark clouds, revealing blue sky behind them.

“That thing makes the Sword of Light look like a butter knife,” Xelloss gasped, then rolled his eyes when Gourry shot him a sour look. “It does!”

Almayce seethed with anger and stepped toward Zelgadiss. “Give Galvayra to me!”

Lina pushed Gourry aside and shakily got to her feet. There wasn't enough in her to try another Ragna Blade and she knew a Dragon Slave wouldn't work against Almayce. She yanked off her glove and started concentrating on Airlord's power.

“What the hell are you doing, Lina!” Shizuri yelled. “You just used the Lord of Nightma…”

“Shut up!” Lina screamed as the gods power condensed in her hand. “Zel! Shoot now!” She released the attack and it slammed into Almayce. He hit the wall, bones shattering beneath the impact the massive power that Lina channeled toward him.

Zelgadiss raised the weapon and released an arrow. The light attack blazed across the room and into Almayce's body. With a terrible shriek, he hit the floor and lay motionless.

Lina released the spell. She nearly fell and grabbed onto Gourry for support. “The magic of our world can't affect him,” she managed, “but wind can push a physical object no matter what its components. The wind attack destroyed his physical body he generated for this world and the attack from Galvayra handled the astral side. He's dead.”

“Excellent work as always, Lina-san,” Xelloss praised as he approached Zelgadiss's back. He reached forward and lightly tapped the chimera between his shoulder blades with his staff. Zelgadiss stumbled and fell to the ground unconscious. Xelloss reached over and scooped up the weapon.

“Zelgadiss-san!” Amelia screamed.

“I do apologize for this,” Xelloss said and held the weapon up. “You see, we all had one thing in common with the exception of the Elder and that was the acquisition of this weapon. I intended to assist Almayce in acquiring it, but as you see, the one meant to get it in the end was me. Considering that Lina-san's hair is starting to turn white and our previous user of the weapon has decided to take a nap, I highly doubt that any of you will be able to follow me at the moment. Now, if you'll excuse me…” And with that, he teleported away.

“Zelgadiss-san!” Amelia rushed to his side as he began to stir.

Lina weakly looked around the room. Filia was near the Elder as he gasped for breath. Almayce's body lay crumpled on the other side of the room. She glanced down at her hair and saw that several inches has gone white. She closed her eyes and felt the burden of what happened start to crash down on her. _What do we do now?_

——-

_Several hours later_

Lina lay on her bedroll and listened to Amelia cast the spells that caused the dead golden dragons to be encased in stone. They had laid Almayce alongside them, agreeing that in the end he was trying his best to save his world. The complexities of the situation even made her head spin.

_Almayce wanted the weapons to summon Darkstar into our world to save his. The Elder wanted the weapons to prevent Darkstar from being summoned and to also prevent what he feels are the enemy from disturbing his definition of peace. Today it's Almayce that's the enemy. What if it's humans sometime in the future? Then there's Xelloss. Bastard. I can't get a read on him. Knowing our Mazoku, they'll want to use Darkstar's power in an attempt to resurrect one of the pieces of Shabranigdu._

She heard the tent flap rustle and looked over to see Gourry crawl in. He placed a bowl of stew beside her, then reached for another he left outside. “Hungry?”

“Famished.” She pushed herself into a sitting position and quickly polished off the stew, then helped herself to Gourry's. When he didn't protest, she looked over the rim of the bowl and saw the worried look on his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He looked out the flap, then reached for the tie holding it open and released it. The flap fell down and plunged the tent into semi-darkness, but it was better than looking upon the corpses. “I just feel bad for them. They were only following orders, what they believed in. They didn't know what was going on.”

“I know.” Lina wrestled with the sympathy she had for them and scooted closer to Gourry. He put an arm around her and they sat silently, dealing with the grief that had come with the battle.

“I don't regret killing Almayce,” she admitted after a few minutes. “He would had killed Zel and if he'd gotten the final weapon, he would had summoned Darkstar. Although I'm starting to suspect that we won't have any choice but to summon him ourselves. Almayce said the gateway was unstable and now Xelloss has the final weapon. I presume he can get past the barrier.”

“Could you try the Ragna Blade against it?”

“It should break the barrier,” Lina admitted, “but, the hard part is casting it while in mid air. I'm doing good to maintain it on solid ground. The only perch I've got is Filia's back and even subtle movements could throw me to the point where the spell won't work.”

Gourry didn't say anything for awhile. He thought back to the way the gateway had looked, each detail etched into his mind. After all, it was a battleground and he was good at remembering those. He held up an index finger as he remembered a detail. “Say, wasn't there an opening at the top of the gateway?”

“Yeah, where the light came in. What about it?”

“Why don't we go through it?”

Lina stared at Gourry, dumbfounded. It was the simplest, most logical solution in the book - and the one none of them had thought of. With a laugh, she grabbed him, gave him a hard kiss, then pumped her fist in the air. “That's what we'll do! Go in from on top! Not bad, Gourry!”

He grinned and ran a hand through his bangs, pleased and a bit embarrassed. Feeling better about that aspect of their problems, Lina stretched out on her bedroll and casted a Lighting spell. The soft ball of mage light hovered near the top of the tent. She lifted a section of her hair and was pleased to see that most of the color had returned. They had to race across a good chunk of the world to get back to the gateway. She would finish getting her powers back during that time.

“You pushed yourself again,” Gourry scolded as he lay down beside her, also looking at her hair.

“It was either that or be turned into a shish-kabob by Almayce.” Lina quickly dismissed her close call, not wanting to dwell on it too much. She'd already gotten a combined lecture from Shizuri and Amelia about overusing Airlord's power again. Lina had insisted that it was because she had used the Ragna Blade before it, and had purposefully pumped extra energy into her final attack.

“You seem to have a habit of doing that.” And each time stood out painfully clear in his mind.

She dropped her hair and gave him a sour look. “You spoiling for a fight? If so, I've got enough of my magic to make your life miserable for the foreseeable future.”

Gourry looked pained and Lina realized she was strong enough to sound menacing to him, which cheered her immensely. “In any case, we're going to be pushing Filia pretty hard tomorrow. You might not want to eat much tonight.”

Now he looked miserable and she grinned. She was feeling pretty good and being closed into the tent, it seemed easier to forget about what happened that day. She knew what she would see when she fell asleep - the piles of corpses stretching into the horizon, the stunned expression on Almayce's broken body as it lay sprawled on the ground, the hundreds of skulls lining the temple walls and all of the horrors she had witnessed and Luna's words playing through her mind over and over again. She didn't want to see them. Not quite yet.

So she rolled on top of Gourry, pressed her lips to his and did her best to push back the demons for a little while longer.

——-

Filia had insisted on burying the Elder herself. He hadn't said a word as she cast the healing spell on him, an act that both knew would be useless. He had died moments after Xelloss had stolen the final weapon. Amelia had quietly taught her the spell needed to turn flesh into stone

She stared at the body, wanting to feel an aching grief that was suppose to be there from the loss of a mentor. Instead, all she felt was an overwhelming guilt and the burden of knowing that despite what she had learned, she had done his bidding to the very end. “I'm what the Ancient Dragons say. Even though I knew the truth, I stood by the Elder when he died,” she whispered.

Shizuri stood next to her, also eying the stone corpse. “That's a bunch of bull and you and I both know it. You fought back pretty hard. You stood up to him, and that's more than I can say for the other members of your temple. Hell, if anything, you've got something that your Elder doesn't have.”

Stunned, Filia blinked at Shizuri. “What's that?”

Shizuri smiled at her. “Mercy. Despite everything he did, despite knowing that he would gladly have you killed to serve his own purposes, you did your best to save the Elder at the very end. It's not bowing to his wishes, Filia. We both know you were strong enough to walk away and probably thought about it. Yet, you stayed. That's not caving into him. That's showing him an act of mercy. Tell me something, if you could had saved Valgaav, would you?”

“Yes,” Filia replied without a second thought. “I would had tried.”

“Then there you go. You're a good dragon, Filia. You have empathy for others and you're no longer your Elder's little yes-woman. Don't go beating yourself up over his death or over events that took place long before you were born.”

Filia drew in a shaky breath, then nodded. “I suppose you're right, Shizuri.”

“Of course I'm right! Come on. Let's go get dinner.” Shizuri swung a friendly arm around Filia's shoulder. She gave her friend a hesitant smile and the two women who served the gods walked toward camp together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, some of the elements from this chapter are taken from the original anime. Others are completely different. Almayce didn't survive this battle in the anime, but his two henchmen - Sirius and Erulogos - did. The Elder also survived the battle in the original. Almayce almost got a reprieve, but in the end he didn't.
> 
> One of the key things mentioned in the anime was that Almayce and Darkstar's bodies do not exist on Ceiphied/Darkstar's Astral plane. Hence, ordinary spells won't work against them. It's one of those no-brainer things - they would need at least a spell that was equal to the gods power to even begin to take on Almayce. So why did the Ragna Blade work on him at the begin of the story? Because that spell calls upon the Lord of Nightmares and it's also proven in Try that it does affect the astral plane of Darkstar's world (hence why Lina could use it to break the barrier.)
> 
> Amelia's using Gourry's magical capacity to boost her own power actually has a basis in the manga. In the fifth volume of the Super Explosive Demon Story (or Chou-Baku Mahou Den manga), Lina uses Zelgadiss's magical capacity to boost an offensive spell that she cast during the fight against Copy Rezo. I figured that the same principles could work with defense.


	26. Gateway, Torn Asunder

_Wolf Pack Island: Several hours after the battle at the Ancient Dragon Temple_

Xelloss strode through the tall grasses that surrounded the center of Wolf Pack Island. Zelas did not believe in maintaining any sort of dwelling that separated her from the outdoors that she loved and the enchantments placed around the island ensured that not only did the weather never change, but that it always remained night. His master had an affinity for the moon and stars that Xelloss could appreciate. It was at night, Zelas once explained, that the greatest mysteries of the Lord of Nightmares could be felt and the full extent of her creation be appreciated.

He could had teleported straight to his mistress's side. He _should_ had been able to do it. The thin, twisting path that cut through reeds as tall as trees were for the use of Lesser Mazoku. But when he had obtained the weapon and tried to return to his mistress's side, Xelloss found that he couldn't do so. With a touch of annoyance, he started down the long path knowing that it would take at least three hours to get from the outer edges of the island where the path began to his mistress's side. It left him plenty of time to think.

Zelas rarely blocked his access to her. The last time had been when Hellmaster Phibrizzo had demanded his services in tailing Lina Inverse and trapping Gaav. Xelloss figured that he had a right to feel somewhat uneasy after that incident. Indeed, Lina and her group provided an endless source of amusement, but the task itself had been most unpleasant. A wolf howled in the distance at that thought and his lips curled into a vague smile. The nervous twinge in the pit of his stomach was perfectly justified.

“I can't believe that you stand for this, condone it even!” Deep Sea Dolphin's tense, slightly shrill voice cut through the night, indicating that he was close. “You know what happened in Kunan! The girl doesn't deserve to live, much less run around in search of these weapons!”

“Need I remind you, Dolphin, that Hureika's failure was just as much a product of her own swelled head as it was Lina Inverse's power. You yourself said that her self-absorption would one day lead to her downfall.” Zelas's cool, slightly sarcastic voice calmed Xelloss and he agreed with his mistress completely. Hurieka had the looks of a cockroach. She had been cunning, but too entirely too confident in her own abilities.

Dolphin didn't say anything for a minute. “I hate it when you're right,” she hissed and Xelloss grinned.

“Lina Inverse is a useful tool,” Zelas commented.

“She's been extremely useful in getting most of us killed off!”

Xelloss lightly stepped into the clearing in time to see a seated Zelas level a stare at Dolphin that normally caused most Lesser Mazoku to whimper in terror. “Lina Inverse is directly responsible for one the the pieces of the Dark Lord. She assisted in killing Hureika. If you forget, Dolphin, Phibrizzo was actually the one to kill Gaav. The Lord of Nightmares herself struck down Phibrizzo.”

“Who was called down here by Lina Inverse.”

“After being provoked by the Hellmaster!” Zelas pushed out of her chair.

Dolphin bared her teeth. “Are you sticking up for her? A _human_?”

“I'm just saying what's there, Dolphin. Nothing more. Lina Inverse has saved us considerable legwork in locating, safekeeping and obtaining the Darkstar weapons.” Zelas's gaze flickered over Dolphin's shoulder. “Am I not right, Xelloss?”

He emerged from the shadows, the last weapon in hand. He dropped to one knee and lowered his head respectfully. “Yes, my lady. Lina-san was able to use her Ragna Blade to obtain this weapon. My powers alone would not be sufficient to release the seal around it. That required a power equal to or greater than Darkstar's.”

Zelas did not say anything, but Dolphin huffed out a breath of air. Ignoring her companion, Zelas approached Xelloss and took the bow. “So this is it?” she asked. The bow activated, forming a string and arrow as soon as she took it. Zelas considered the weapon for a moment, lifted it and shot the arrow. The light attack tore through the tall grass, igniting it in its wake. She lowered the weapon and turned her back on the fire as a dozen Lesser Mazoku oozed out of the shadows armed with buckets of water.

“It's powerful,” Zelas acknowledged as her minions proceeded to extinguish the fire. “This will work with the other weapons to appease Darkstar.”

“Then let's get to it,” Dolphin stated and dissipated the anti-teleporting ward with a wave of her hand. In seconds, the three were at the gateway, the four weapons still humming in the sockets they'd been placed in a couple weeks earlier.

“Game plan?” Dolphin asked as Zelas strode to the center of the platform.

“Negotiation. Darkstar will come through the gateway. We offer the weapons in return for either his services in locating and reviving the remaining pieces of Ruby Eye or aligning within us to fulfill our destiny in this world.”

“And if it should fail?” Dolphin placed a hand on her hip.

“We use the weapons to destroy him.”

Dolphin indicated the gateway with a sweep of her hand. “So the three of us will utilize these five weapons? You have many admirable talents, Zelas, but even being able to use two weapons at once is beyond your capabilities.”

Zelas's nose wrinkled slightly. “Damn it,” she hissed, then with a flick of her wrist summoned two Lesser Mazoku. “Take those weapons,” she commanded, pointing to the Sword of Light and Ragud Mezegis.

The Lesser Mazoku swept toward the socketed weapons and placed their hands on them. With twin shrieks piercing the silence, they immediately dissipated into nothing. Zelas grunted. “Well, that won't do.” She lifted a hand to summon two more, but Dolphin grabbed her shoulder.

“How many Lessers will you go through to find two stable enough to handle these other weapons?” Dolphin demanded. “Despite popular opinion, our supply of Lesser Mazoku is limited.” She frowned at the weapons. “I'm amazed that these weapons do not do you damage.”

“What we know about these weapons comes our study of the man the humans call the Swordsman of Light, who just happens to travel with Lina Inverse,” Zelas replied. “His family retained control of Gorun Nova for a few centuries. Through him, we discovered that these weapons are operated by willpower, something that is lacking in our lesser Mazoku.”

“From what we know, Gorun Nova is the weakest of the Darkstar weapons,” Xelloss spoke up. “If our Mazoku don't have the willpower needed to use it, using the other weapons would also be useless.”

“He is right.” Dolphin strode out on front of Zelas, her long hair streaming around her. She pushed wisps of it out of her eyes. “Lessers do not have the will to strike out on their own. You know how our society works. Xelloss can use the weapons because not only does he have your blessing to do so, but he has enough of his own willpower. Our middle-ranked Mazoku have greatly decreased and they are the only other ones with the power to do so.”

Zelas considered this. “We can summon Dynast's priest and general, but my efforts to contact him remain fruitless.”

Dolphin rolled her eyes. “Is he still pissed that you beat him in poker three hundred years ago?”

“Dynast has always been one to hold a grudge,” Zelas replied just as a loud shriek pierced through the area. The Mazoku immediate looked up to see the gateway pulse. All sound died away with the exception of a pulse that vibrated through the area. Before any of them could react, a tear emerged in the air and a long, pulsating tentacle reached out of it.

“Almayce-san wasn't kidding when he said the gateway wasn't stable,” Xelloss commented.

Dolphin rolled her eyes. “You think?” She eyed the bow and grabbed it from Zelas.

“Wait!” Zelas grabbed Dolphin's arm. “You want to attack that thing?”

“Somehow, I don't think your tactic of negotiation's going to work, Zelas,” Dolphin yelled. With a burst of power, she blew Zelas across the platform and into one of the socketed weapons. Before either Zelas or Xelloss could react, Dolphin pointed Galvayra at the gateway and shot an arrow into it.

“My lady.” Xelloss kneeled next to her and Zelas waved him off. Her face remained impassive as the gateway opened wider and a second tentacle emerged. She closed her eyes, concentrated on the immense amount of power being contained on the other side of the dimensional fabric. Darkstar wasn't their lord, but he was a dark lord and she could still sense the energy coming from him, not to mention the rage. No, negotiation was not going to work.

It was up to them. If they had managed to summon Darkstar themselves, they would had been able to lure him into helping them resurrect the missing pieces of Shabranigdu. But no, that idiot dragon Valgaav had to mess up everything. It was time to scrap this plan and think of something else.

“Get Lina Inverse,” she ordered Xelloss. “If she and her crew are so keen on killing Darkstar, then they can take care of that task for us. You're charged to help her by any means necessary in doing so.”

“ _Lina Inverse?”_ Dolphin shrieked and stamped her foot slightly.

Zelas and Xelloss exchanged a look, then Xelloss teleported across the room. He plucked the weapon from Dolphin's hands and disappeared before she realized that it was gone. Zelas stood, glaring at Dolphin. She chanted beneath her breath and extended her power to freeze Dolphin in place.

“Zelas!” Dolphin struggled against her bonds. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Look what you did.” Zelas's cold voice had Dolphin immediately cease her struggles. The Mazoku glanced skyward and noticed that the small gateway had grown much bigger thanks to the attack. The two tentacles they'd seen earlier turned out to be attached to a giant creature, much bigger than she ever expected it to be.

“You expect a mere human to slay _that_?”

Zelas shrugged. “What can I say? She's more expendable than we are. Look at it this way, Dolphin. If they fail, your wish comes true and she, along with most humans, will be exterminated.”

“In that case, I'm placing all my bets on Darkstar.” Dolphin broke free from the bonds and disappeared.

Zelas stared at the spot where Dolphin had stood, then at the Sword of Light. _As much as it pains me to think it, I'm placing my bets on Lina Inverse. Again._

——-

_Cold!_ Lina scrunched up her face and shivered, patted her hand behind her for the covers that Gourry had apparently stolen. Again. She grabbed the blanket and pulled hard, jerking enough of it to cover her chest. She contemplated rolling to her other side so she spooned against his back, leeching off of his body heat. She yawned and started to do just that when she got the distinct sensation that something was very wrong.

She cracked open one eye and saw a pair of violet ones staring back into hers.

The scream coming from Lina and Gourry's tent had Zelgadiss and Lyos rushing out of theirs, swords in hand. Seconds later, a loud explosion brought Shizuri, Filia and Amelia out of theirs. Smoke billowed from the tent seconds before it collasped, shortly followed by the rip of fabric and a furious sorceress - dressed in nothing but a blanket wrapped around her - shot out of the debris.

“Lina, what happ…,” Zelgadiss started to ask, but was cut off when a ball of fire formed in Lina's hand and she hurled it at a figure that had appeared at the corner of their camp.

“Xelloss!” Lina bellowed and readied another fireball. “Show your face right now! I'm going to make you regret that you were even born.”

Xelloss flickered into view a few feet away. “Now, Lina-san, it was just a mistake!”

“A mistake? _A_. _Mistake?_ You were in my tent in the middle of the night!” Lina shot the fireball at him and Xelloss dodged it.

“Lina-san! How was I suppose to know that spring had finally arrived and you figured out that Gourry-san was actually useful for something other than holding a sword?” Xelloss barely avoided a Burst Rondo.

Lina's response was a scream of pure rage as she tore across the camp. Her fingers barely brushed the skin on Xelloss's neck before he teleported a safe distance away again. “You get back here and take your punishment like a man!”

“Ah, but Lina-san, I'm a Mazoku!”

“Still doesn't change the fact that you're a yellow-bellied coward!”

“That's taking it too far, don't you think, Lina-san?” Xelloss faded into view and his gaze swept her body. “Although, I do have to admit that finding you in that state did finally prove that you actually have brea…” His words cut off as Filia's mace slammed into his back and he slumped to the ground in pain.

Lina didn't need any further incentive. By the time a fully dressed Gourry emerged from the tent debris, Lina had Xelloss in a headlock and was venting her anger in the form of fists, Flare Arrows and, to cap it off, a knee in a very vulnerable part of his body. The resulting whimper revealed that he did bother to form the right plumbing when he created his human form. She stood, dusting her hands off, then scowled at her partner. “How'd you find your clothes?”

“I folded them and put them next to the bed. You know, Lina, if you just picked up your clothes instead of scattering them everywhere…”

Three seconds later, a cowering Gourry was on the ground next to the still-cowering Xelloss. The rest of the group silently parted as Lina stomped back to the remains of her tent, fished out her clothes and took over Amelia, Shizuri and Filia's tent to dress. Five minutes later, she was back out and looming over Xelloss, cracking her knuckles as she did so. Amelia had taken pity on Gourry and healed him. He, along with everyone else, was sitting a safe distance behind Lina.

“Now then.” She deliberately cracked each knuckle, the evil smile growing bigger. “Let's discuss your recent crimes to humanity. First of all, you stole the final weapon. Second, and most important of all, you were robbing a beautiful sorceress of her extremely precious sleep - sleep that was greatly needed in preparation for our flight across the world tomorrow in pursuit of _you_.”

“Are you sure you weren't needing sleep for other reasons?” Xelloss winked at Lina.

She let out a short shriek of frustration. “Just what do you want, Xelloss?”

“I apologize for the inconvience that our last meeting brought to you,” he said with a wave of his hand, ignoring the resulting snort from Lina. “But, I was merely following orders then as I am now. I am here to make a deal with you.”

“What sort of deal?” Lina asked warily.

“You see, we encountered a slight situation regarding Darkstar and need your assistance to solve it.” Xelloss flashed a smile at her. “Mainly, we accidentally opened the gateway.”

“ _What?_ ” The entire group yelled.

“You tried to use Galvayra to kill Darkstar and failed, causing the gateway to open entirely? What the hell were you thinking?” Zelgadiss shouted.

Xelloss shrugged and decided that it was a very wise idea not to alert them to what had transpired between Zelas and Dolphin. It simply was none of their business. “It was a logical guess at the time. After all, Almayce-san simply said that the fifth weapon needed to be used to kill Darkstar. He didn't clarify that the other four weapons would need to be used with it.”

“You're trying to blame this all on a technicality?” Filia growled. “How… How _Mazoku_ of you!”

“Need I remind you that if it hadn't been for your temple, Filia-san, we wouldn't be here in the first place…”

“Okay, shut up! All of you! Let me think.” Lina pressed a hand to her forehead and did her best to form coherent thoughts through the headache that was fast brewing. “So, because you know we'll do it, you want us to go use the Darkstar weapons with you. Why not just force other Mazoku to do it?”

“Well, my fellow Mazoku aren't exactly an endless commodity…”

“Oh, great.” Lina rolled her eyes. “You're using us because we're expendable.”

“Don't think of it that way, Lina-san,” Xelloss chided her. “You had plans to come back to the gateway anyhow, With my help, we shall expedite the trip. Filia-san and I can teleport the group to the gateway.”

“How did you get past the barrier?” Amelia asked.

“Oh, that was never a problem to me. I'm surprised you didn't try teleporting, Filia-san,” Xelloss said in a suggestive voice that set the priestess's teeth on edge. “Then again, I suppose that's just the superior thinking of us Mazoku…”

Filia let out a scream and was barely held back from having her mace get reacquainted with Xelloss's face once more by Shizuri. “Don't,” she hissed. “He's only doing this because he enjoys it too much. Don't give him the satisfaction of your anger.”

“Too late,” Xelloss said lightly and turned his focus back to Lina. “So, do we have a deal, Lina-san?”

Because they had no other choice, Lina accepted. “But,” she said, “we're going to have a nice little _chat_ when this is all said and done with. And I will lead this final battle, not you.”

Xelloss considered it for a moment. “Will the chat involve violence?”

“Count on it. Now, how many of us can you teleport at once?”

“We'll split the group in half.” Xelloss nodded to Filia. “Our dear priestess over there can handle Shizuri-san, Lyos-san and Amelia-san. I will take you, Gourry-san and Zelgadiss-san.”

“Fine.” Lina turned back to the group. “Okay, here's the plan. I want those with the highest capacity for power on the weapons as soon as we get there. Gourry, grab the Sword of Light. Zel, get Razud Mezegis. Lyos, you get Bodigar and Amelia, Nezzard. Shizuri, we may need your illusions to distract Darkstar. Filia, be ready with any shielding spell that's needed.”

“For you,” Xelloss offered Galvayra to her.

“Keep it. You're going to be working in this battle. I'm going to hang back in case I need to cast the Ragna Blade. I don't want to tap into it if necessa… _what?_ ” she yelled, whirling around to give Gourry a cross look as he tugged on her cloak.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Don't act rash.”

“I'm not going to act rash! What the hell you think I'm going to do, cast the Giga Slave at will?”

When he simply stared at her a knowing look that infuriated her, Lina turned her back on him. “Stupid jellyfish,” she muttered as she stomped toward Xelloss. Yes, yes, she would use the Giga Slave if needed. He didn't have to make her feel bad about it! _Besides, we've got more of a chance to survive a Giga Slave than rely on what my sister predicted._

Xelloss extended his arm and Lina grabbed hold of it. Gourry and Zelgadiss's hands settled on either side of hers. Before she had a chance to check on Filia and the others, the world suddenly faded into a great rush of darkness. It only lasted a second, but the moment seemed to last for days. She remembered the feel of Gourry's hair whipping against her face and Zel's rocky hand brushing against her own. Then they were inside of the gateway, standing in the circle formed by the four weapons.

Lina stared up at the gateway and the huge creature hugging it. She hadn't noticed it during the battle, but the actual gateway was a long, suspended series of chambers that hung over the top of the tower. They were now open, dark energy pouring from it. “It looks like there's no turning back from this now,” she said and looked back at Gourry and Shizuri, who had arrived with Filia, Amelia and Lyos. They knew what she meant.

Shizuri inched her way forward and placed her hand on Lina's arm. “We'll find an answer. After all, there's still the weapons.”

_But will they be enough?_ Lina craned her neck and saw the blackness of the Sea of Chaos stretching wide above her. Her heart clenched and a distant memory came back to her.

“I've been there.”

She startled, stared at Gourry who was also looking into the gateway. “I've been there,” he repeated. “I remember something. You. A lady looking like you but who was gold-colored. She was taking you away from me.”

She could see it as well, memories locked away that were now starting to come back at a terrifying rate. She pushed them away. “Get the weapons, folks! Go!” she yelled.

Amelia started toward Nezzard and was stopped by a hand to her shoulder. She looked over it and blinked with surprise at Zelgadiss. “What's wrong, Zelgadiss-san?”

“Are you going to be okay using a weapon like that?”

She smiled gently and patted his hand. “It's for the cause of justice, isn't it?”

The four grabbed the weapons and activated them at the same time as Xelloss. Lina surveyed the room and despite the dire situation, felt a sense of accomplishment. _The five weapons are finally together._ She pointed toward the gateway. _Time for round one. Let's see what power we've got._ “Gourry, use your weapon! Fire a shot off at it!”

She'd seen him do it once before, use his willpower to release the blade from the Sword of Light and use it like an arrow. It took a lot of energy on his part, but with his being one of the weaker weapons, it would be a good gauge to see how much damage they could do with all of them. Gourry drew back his sword arm, then swung the hilt forward. The light blade disengaged, then hurled into the gateway. It blasted through the darkness and a moment later they heard a sharp howl.

Black jets of horrendous energy shot through the portal toward Gourry and he threw up the Sword of Light in reflex. Lina sprinted across the platform, grabbing onto his shirt and casting a shield just as the attack hit. The magic didn't hit them, but the pressure was enough to send them both crashing to the ground. Lina forced more magic into her shield, then noticed that the others were also casting their own. Zelgadiss's shield served to cover himself and Shizuri while Filia had ran to Lyos and cast one over the two of them.

When the attack subsided, Lina let the shield drop and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She surveyed the gateway and saw that several of the columns had broken away, debris littering the area where Amelia stood with Nezzard. “One on one isn't going to work,” she said.

“We'll need to use the weapons to divide Darkstar,” Zelgadiss said. “Almayce confirmed that when we talked to him while you were fighting Valgaav.”

“Then do it!” Lina yelled. “Everyone, focus on trying to merge your weapons with each other!” They concentrated on the weapons and an energy shield sprang to life around them. Tentacles from Darkstar struck the barrier and were repelled back as the blades of light from the five weapons grew bigger and more powerful. Lina looked around and saw that while Gourry, Zelgadiss and Lyos were barely keeping their weapons contained, Amelia was fighting a losing battle. The petite woman gritted her teeth, but the force from the weapon had her sliding across the floor.

Before Lina could say anything, Shizuri ran to Amelia's side. She placed her hands against Amelia's shoulders and back and braced herself hard. She slowly reached forward, her hand wrapping around the hilt of Nezzard just above Amelia's. Her willpower was enough to where Lina could see the strain lessen from Amelia's face.

“What do we do now?” Filia asked Lina.

“Channel it toward Darkstar!” Lina turned to Xelloss. “You didn't happen to get an instruction manual from Almayce during your brief liasion with him, did you?”

“No,” Xelloss admitted.

“Fine then!” Lina turned back toward the group and saw that the circle of light maintained around the group. _It must have something to do with the four main weapons being in proximity to the portals used to activate the gateway_. “Release your attacks together in three, two, one… _now!_ ”

The ring of light lifted from the platform and shot through the gateway. It wrapped around Darkstar, looking as if he was being encased in chains of light. He thrashed against it, the gateway going wild as he did so. Suddenly, the gateway snapped close with a loud clank, leaving part of the dark mass in the tower thrashing above him.

“We got him! Part of him at any rate,” Lina cheered as one by one, the light weapon users relaxed their hold on their weapons.

“So, this is Darkstar,” Filia said in a mixed tone of awe and fear.

“I'd say we managed to cut his power in half.” With the thrill subsiding, Lina stared up at the dark lord. “He's still much stronger than Phibrizzo was. We can't rely on our ordinary spells against his.”

“What about taking a page out of your book?” Zelgadiss suggested. When Lina raised an eyebrow at him, he merely grinned and pointed Razud Mezegis at Darkstar. “ _Rah Tilt!”_ he yelled, channelling the spell into his weapon and releasing the attack. It struck the beast and he howled in pain.

“Well, guess that is a page out of my book,” Lina grinned, then motioned to Filia. “Filia! Help Lyos!”

When the priestess moved over to Lyos, Lina grabbed the Sword of Light just above Gourry's hands. Their eyes met, held, then she activated her talismans and started to chant the Dragon Slave. The attack wrapped around the light blade and merged with it, the sword glowing red for a brief moment before she yelled out the final chaos words and Gourry released the blade of the sword once more.

The combined magical attacks with the blades of light tore through the beast. While he thrashed around, it didn't appear to make any visible difference. Amelia lowered her weapon and wiped at her forehead with the back of her hand. “Combining a spell with the Sword of Light worked against Zanaffar, but this doesn't seem to be doing anything.”

“We can do what we did against Hureika,” Lyos suggested. “We can combine Aqualord and Airlord's powers and channel them through Banisher.”

“Good idea,” Lina said and started toward him, then froze when she saw something strange. She frowned at Darkstar. “Is it just me or is he reacting to something?”

“We haven't done anything in a minute or so,” Zelgadiss said.

The beast seemed to be fixiated on Filia and Lyos. Its great mouth opened and closed several times as it stared at them. Filia frowned, then pressed a hand to her chest. She reached inside her cloak and took out the orb that had contained the memories of the Ancient Dragon elders. It glowed with a blue light and seemed to be reacting to Darkstar itself.

“Why would that thing be glowing?” Lyos asked.

“I don't know,” Filia replied. Before she could think of an answer, Darkstar gave a powerful roar. They stared at the sky and watched, stunned as a full-figured beast began to take shape, taking on a form that reminded her of a dragon in its natural form. Incredible pressure filled the chamber, forcing them all to the ground. “He's trying to fly away from here or something!” she yelled to Lina as the tower walls started to crack around them.

Lina tossed her hands over her head as the tower walls gave way. Under her breath, she chanted a shield spell and felt it ripple into place. After a minute, the pressure lifted and she jumped to her feet in time to see Darkstar out of the tower and flying through the sky. She cursed. “Filia! We've got to follow him!”

“Right!” She yelled, transforming immediately. They took to the sky, but it was apparent that her speed was no match for Darkstar's.

“What will we do?” Amelia asked Lina as they clung tightly to Filia's back.

“Go higher!” Zelgadiss suddenly yelled. “The world is round. The higher we go, the more we go toward the outer edge of the atmosphere and the circumference around the world gets smaller. We'll be able to travel a greater distance?”

“Huh?” Gourry and Lyos gave him a blank look.

“You know, you could had suggested this when we were looking for the weapons!” Lina yelled at him as they started to rise.

“There's a drawback,” he told her. “The atmosphere is thinner there. It's harder to breathe.”

Suddenly a blast of cold air had Lina shrieking and Zelgadiss winced. “And it's rather cold up here as well.” He then motioned to Lina and Amelia. “Cast Recovery on her. Filia! As soon as they do so, dive toward Darkstar!”

“Right!” As soon as she felt the cool waves of the healing spell wash over her, Filia angled herself toward the ground. The maneuver brought them into line with Darkstar. Filia strained, pushing herself to go faster as Lina and Amelia alternated casting Recovery on her.

“Look, up ahead!” Lyos yelled and Lina pushed aside her weariness when she recognized the building they were headed toward. “The Flarelord temple!”

It was the final straw for Filia. She landed and collapsed, landing in Lyos's arms. Lina and Amelia both dropped to their knees, exhausted from the magic it took to keep Filia in the air. Lina waved off Gourry's help, keeping her eye trained on the glowing orb in Filia's hand.

“ _Golden Dragons… Golden Dragons…”_

An eerily familiar voice resonated from the being in the sky and it hit Lina at the exact moment that Filia gasped. “It can't be…”

“Valgaav!” Lina cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much of how the Mazoku system works was taken from KanzakaDex and does its best to explain why Xelloss and the other Mazoku just didn't bother to use the weapons themselves. Mazoku depend on each other in a hierarchy system and I am guessing that they wouldn't have the willpower to make the weapon work if they couldn't at least take a human form. With Lina and those associated with her rapidly depleting the number of these stronger Mazoku, I can see them being content with having them do the work.


	27. Back to Where It All Began

“Valgaav!” Filia echoed Lina's cry.

“My, my.” Xelloss faded into view next to Lina and made a soft `tsk'-ing sound. “It seems like we've developed a little situation.”

“You call this little?” Lina cried as a terrible shriek emerged from the being that was once Valgaav. “How the hell did this happen?”

Xelloss leveled Lina with a patient stare. “You were the one who fought the piece of Shabranigdu-sama inside of Rezo.”

_Of course._ Lina's gaze swung back to Darkstar. _The piece of Shabranigdu was awakened inside of Rezo and they merged. Shabranigdu's will, but Rezo's body. But this is Darkstar's body. Is he being controlled by Valgaav's will?_

“Even as an Ancient Dragon, he shouldn't have control of a Dark Lord like this,” Shizuri wondered aloud.

With a wave of his staff, Xelloss encased them in a large dome. His eyes narrowed, he studied the being in front of them. “Valgaav's done the last thing we've wanted him to do. He's now a fusion of two pure magics - Holy and Chaotic. That sort of fusion magic attracted him to Darkstar. There's only two beings that I know of in this world that have the ability to contain such raw magic inside of them.”

“Valgaav and myself,” Lina said softly and nearly laughed at the surprised gasps. She gave Amelia a cryptic look. “You didn't figure that one out?”

“Well, I knew that you have the capacity, but…” Amelia stammered.

“There is a difference,” Xelloss told her. “Lina-san doesn't have the magic actually existing within her at the same time. She has the ability to channel both of them, but they currently don't exist inside of her at the same time.”

“We have to do something,” Filia demanded as the dome flickered around them.

Xelloss slanted a look at her. “It all depends. Do you want to save Valgaav.”

“I…” Filia hesitated. Her hand rested on her pendant as she considered the options. Valgaav was the last of the Ancient Dragons. If they killed Darkstar, if they didn't save him, then an entire race would be exterminated. She would be no better than her elders.

Lyos sighed, then poked Filia's side. “Doesn't seem to me we've got much of a choice. I'm not sacrificing my life to save that guy. Yeah, his people got it bad, but he tried to kill us.”

“We can't just stoop to their level, Lyos-san!”

“It seems to me though, that Valgaav guy's already dead,” Gourry spoke up. He cupped his chin in his hand. “Say, Lina, who's that Mezzo guy we fought awhile back?”

Lina sighed. “Rezo. Look, we don't have time to…”

“Yeah! Redo! Didn't you say that when the pizza of Shabrang-thingy…”

“Piece of Shabranigdu,” Lina ground out.

“When it took over him that he was already dead? That we were killing the monster and not the actual guy?”

“Gourry's right,” Zelgadiss chimed in, slightly disturbed at the thought of a malicious pizza having taken residence inside of his grandfather. “We weren't killing Rezo, we were killing Shabranigdu. For what he was worth, Valgaav died at the gateway. This is his will, but it's not _him._ ”

“ _You have got it all wrong.”_

The dome dropped and Valgaav's disembodied voice surrounded them. “ _How do you, worthless humans, Golden Dragons and Mazoku, know my inner thoughts and feelings? These weeks, months even have been just hours to me. The most blessed hours of my life. Because I am finally powerful.”_

A blast of white light shot from the great beast. Filia froze, eyes wide as the attack barreled at her. With a curse, Xelloss grabbed her arm and disappeared. They reappeared a short distance away, Filia in his arms. He unceremoniously dumped her on the ground before returning to the main group. Filia got to her knees, shook her head and stared up at Darkstar. “That…”

“That was an act of mercy,” Xelloss said, shooting her a cheerful smile. “Don't say I never do anything nice for you, Filia-san.”

Filia ignored him and made a point of shoving him aside as she headed back to Lina's side. “That was a Holy attack, Lina-san.”

“Holy Magic? How the hell…”

A low cackle echoed through the area. _“You figured it out, Golden Dragon. I have not only made a pact with Darkstar, but with the Dragon God Volphied.”_

“Volphied?” Everyone except Gourry cried out.

“Who…”

“God like Cephied on Darkstar's world,” Lina quickly explained before Gourry could even get the question out. “Supposedly a good guy.”

Gourry frowned. “If he's merged with Valgaav and Darkstar, that doesn't make him that much of a good guy, does it?”

“ _It is the wish of Volphied and Darkstar that the worlds be purified and life starts over again.”_ As the words were spoken, a dark mist surrounded the group. Lina blinked and suddenly could not see her own hands in front of her face. She balled her hands into fists and looked in the direction where she felt that Darkstar was. An immense pressure settled on her chest and she ignored it.

Suddenly, she could see him - Valgaav the way he appeared when they fought at the gateway. A being combined of Chaotic and Holy Magic. “We will all be purified,” he said and extended a hand toward her. “We will enter the world we were meant to be a part of. Can you imagine helping me with it?”

_Are we inside of Darkstar?_ Lina kept her gaze steady on Valgaav's, but did a careful sweep of the area. The only thing she could see was him, but… She reached out and felt her fingers close around skin. The skin beneath her hand moved and a moment later she felt the bow pressed into her palm. She grabbed it from Xelloss, activated it and took aim, chanting beneath her breath.

Valgaav arched an eyebrow and smirked.

“ _Dragon Slave!”_ The arrow that emerged from the bow glowed red and shot into Valgaav. It passed through him, then out the other side before exploding. Beside her, Xelloss screamed and Lina whirled around. “ _Lighting!”_

“We're on the Astral plane,” Zelgadiss yelled somewhere to Lina's right when her light spell failed to work. “We've got to get out of here before we're completely drained! Amelia! Sing something. Anything! Everyone, concentrate on something positive!”

Part of Lina thought it absolutely hilarious that it was Zelgadiss yelling at them all to be cheerful. Then she noticed it. “No! Wait!” Her eyes narrowed at something past Valgaav and raised the bow. Before she could release the attack, a flash of bright white light shot past her. The light shattered the one barely visible boulder that was behind Valgaav. The mutated dragon faded and the darkness dissipated.

Behind her, Gourry panted as he gripped a now-bladeless Sword of Light. He had seen what she did - an object that seemed out of place in the Astral plane. Lina glanced at him over her shoulder, impressed. “How'd you figure it out?”

He gave a short laugh. “It seemed easier to blast that thing apart than Valgaav, didn't it?”

She wasn't even about to question him any further. Gourry had extremely keen eyes. She wasn't surprised that would be able to see the one thing in the Astral plane that didn't belong other than Valgaav. She briefly wondered if he'd been able to see the rest of the group, but there was no time to consider that. Lina turned back to Valgaav. “Our options?”

“Not many,” Xelloss conceded. “We can either try hacking away at Valgaav in this state, fused with Darkstar and Volphied, or move to our two final options.”

“Two final… Lina-san!” Amelia shrieked. “You're not going to cast the Giga Slave, are you?”

Lina ignored Amelia as Xelloss gave her a pointed look. _He knows Luna's theories. Damn him._ She stared at the beast before them. “The power of the Darkstar weapons will be just equal to that of Valgaav's combined with Darkstar,” she said. “But it's like the barrier inside the Ancient Dragon temple. We need to have a power that can overcome it. With him fused with Volphied as well…”

Xelloss nodded. “There's not many choices left.”

LIna stared at the massive hole in the sky. _“To fulfill the prophecy, you'll have to draw upon both the god's magic and the Mazoku magic you have inside you at the same time. You'll use that channeled with the energy from the Darkstar weapons. You'll only have one shot to stop everything. You'll most likely be killed in the process.”_

It was time. There was no other way around it. The Giga Slave or to fulfill the prophecy. Either option would kill her. Lina stared at the assembled group.

_I want to live._

When the thought crossed her mind, the right answer was suddenly very easy.

“When Gourry and I were in Zefielia, I met with my sister. She was the one Filia originally went to in all of this. Luna had interpreted the prophecy and her interpretation led her to tell Filia to seek me out. The power of the gods and the Mazoku must be combined with that of the five Darkstar weapons in a human. The human releases an attack that kills Darkstar. There's only one human in the world we know of that can utilize both the power of the gods and the power of chaos to the degree needed to attack Darkstar.” Lina started to work off her glove as she spoke.

“Lina, what the hell are you doing?” Lyos yelled.

“Everyone get around me.” She held up the bow beckoned and scanned the faces of the humans. “I'm going to call upon the magic of Airlord and the Lord of Nightmares simutaneously and channel it into the bow. When I do so, you're all going to have to channel the energy from your weapons toward mine at the same time. I'll shoot an arrow that'll bring down Darkstar.”

“Lina-san, you can't do that!” Amelia screamed. Her normally sunny disposition was gone, replaced with sheer panic. “You'll kill yourself!”

“Six one way, half dozen the other,” Lina quipped.

“We're not worth much either way.”

“Zelgadiss-san!” Amelia turned on him, eyes blazing.

He gave her a sympathetic look. “If Lina tries this, fails and survives, we'll have one more shot with the Giga Slave. If she tries the Giga Slave and fails…”

“Now, now, Lina-san, aren't we being a little desperate?” Xelloss gave her a wry smile.

Lina shot him an exasperated look. “Got a better plan, Xelloss?”

“Your plan is perfect. Luna-san is right in the method of extermination. However, you don't need to call upon the magic of the gods and chaos yourself. You have sources willing to do that for you. Am I not right, Filia-san?”

“Of course!” Filia nodded emphatically.

A huge weight suddenly lifted from Lina's shoulders. Her magical capacity was huge. If all she had to do was channel the combined magics, it would be something she could pull off. If Xelloss and Filia called upon Shabranigdu and Ceiphied, she wouldn't have to control potentially lethal magic at the same time as combining and channeling it. It would enable her to survive enough to give it one more shot with the Giga Slave if need be.

Relieved, but also angry at the fact that now she would be in debt to Xelloss for this, Lina started for the edge of the cliff. “Let's do it then,” she ordered. She was stopped by a grip on her arm and turned to face Gourry. “What is it?” she asked.

Behind them, the rest of the group assembled to use the weapons for the final time. Filia and Xelloss stood slightly in front of them. Zelgadiss glanced Amelia out of the corner of his eye. The princess was still pale-faced, but determined. “Are you okay?”

Amelia nodded. “I'm sorry I lost control like that,” she apologized and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. “I just… Lina-san should had said something before.”

“If I had to carry a burden like that, I'd find it hard to tell people as well.” Zelgadiss coughed slightly and decided that he found the boulder a few feet away to be extremely interesting. It had some interesting facades on it, and he bet he could determine the type of stone if he concentrated long enough.

Her heart softened. “You know, there's always someone willing to carry that burden if you…”

“ _What?”_

Amelia and Zelgadiss looked up and all of them stared at Lina and Gourry. He had a calm look on his face and seemed to be waiting for something. Lina had gone red, her anger nearly rivaling Valgaav's.

“Are you _insane?_ ” She yelled at him. “Why the hell did you pick a time like this? We're one hair's breath away from either being blown apart or purified and you ask me _that_?”

“Gourry,” Zelgadiss sighed. “He must be having one of his jellyfish moments again.”

“Why of all times does the idiot swordsman have to play 20 questions?” Lyos moaned.

Shizuri merely tilted her head, then smiled. She caught Amelia's eye. “Somehow, I get the impression that he only asked one very important question.”

“One…,” Amelia's voice trailed off as it hit her and she let out a shriek of joy.

Lyos gave her an odd look. “What? Does seeing Gourry get beat up by Lina for being an idiot provide you with a perverse sort of entertainment?”

“Fine. Fine!” Lina's shout echoed across the cliff. “Oh, all right, yes! If we live, we'll do it! Now get back there so we can get this over with!” She shoved him away and turned toward Valgaav, her face still red.

Behind her, Filia and Xelloss started to chant and she could feel the dueling powers of light and dark. She closed her eyes and opened her magical senses, emptying herself of all other thought.

The energies hit her at the same time and she could sense them swirling around inside of her. Twin lances of light and dark twirled around each other as she used her will to nudge them closer together, then into one gray beam. Her grip tightened on the bow as she willed it to activate. The bowstring and arrow formed beneath her hands and she opened her eyes.

“ _Now!_ ”

She didn't have time to register who yelled the command when four blue beams of light shot at her. They smashed into the arrow and were absorbed by the fusion magic arrow. The arrow grew larger and Lina pointed it at Darkstar. Deciding to add a little bit of extra insurance, she tapped into her own power. It flooded through her veins into her hands, then the arrow. With a yell, she released it.

The attack plowed through the air and straight into the middle of the fused being. A horrible shriek echoed across the cliff as it shuddered, then broke into a thousand fragments. They dissipated into thin air as they fell toward the ground.

_We did it! We're alive!_ Lina turned toward the assembled group and lifted her hand into a V-sign as exhaustion suddenly swamped her.

She never felt herself hit the ground.

——-

Lina woke nestled in a pair of arms, and dark hair in her face. She pushed aside the hair and saw that it was Amelia, who'd slumped over in her sleep. She craned her head back at the loud snore behind her and cracked a wry smile at Gourry, who had his head tilted back against the tree. She looked around, saw the other members of her party sprawled out asleep and sighed in relief. _It's all over. We survived. Well, imagine that._

She saw Filia standing at the edge of the cliff and her heart went out to her. Carefully, she extradicted herself from Gourry and shoved Amelia aside so she wouldn't fall into his lap. She went the other way and landed against Zelgadiss' shoulder instead. The chimera grunted, shifted slightly and Amelia's head wound up cushioned on his thigh.

Filia looked back, gave her a small smile as she approached. “I couldn't sleep,” she said. “There's just so much going on in my mind.”

“It's a lot to handle. I felt the same way when my sister told me her interpretation of the prophecy. I tried everything I could to find another way, but…”

“Sometimes, there just is no other way,” Filia conceded. “In this case, though, we got lucky.”

“Damn lucky,” Lina agreed, silently adding “Must go yell at older sister” to the top of her to-do list now that everything was over.

Filia gave a bitter laugh. “Part of me keeps hoping that something will happen. A rain of feathers will fall from the sky and reveal a reborn Valgaav. That sounds too much like a fairytale.”

“Have you given any thought to what you want to do now?”

“Milgasia-san did offer me sanctuary with his tribe in the Kataart Mountains. Amelia-san said that I could also live in Saillune, but I'm not sure that I want to spend my life among humans. My faith in my race is shaken though, even though I know his tribe did everything it could to stop it. I may travel for a little while, go with Shizuri and Lyos-san to Kunan. What about you?”

She shrugged. “Do the same thing I've always done, I suppose. Explore places, go after treasure. There's still quite a lot of stuff to do! Don't need to find a sword for Gourry. He still has the Blast Sword. We might tag along with Zel for awhile, help him look for his cure. Sis wants us to come back and visit my parents as well.”

“Oh, joy of joys,” Zelgadiss' wry voice came from the group.

Filia looked slightly crestfallen. “But, I overheard you during the battle say something to Gourry-san, when he pulled you aside before that last attack. You said that if you lived, you'd do it. I assumed that meant you'd get married.”

“Wedding?” Amelia immediately sprang up, ignoring a blushing Zelgadiss who had just noticed that she had been using him for her pillow. “You and Gourry-san are getting married?”

“No! No! It's not like that!” Lina waved her hands frantically at Amelia as she fought to remember the last several hours. Everything seemed like one big rush after the decision to try fusion magic. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she remembered Gourry grabbing her arm and the question he asked her. The color drained from Lina's face. _Shit, shit, SHIT. I forgot I said that!!_

“Can we shut up about weddings and go back to sleep?” Lyos muttered.

“You two are getting married before we go back to Kunan, right?” Shizuri tossed aside her blankets.

“We are _not_ getting married!”

“Uh huh, sure you aren't. Princess, are you drawing wedding gown designs in the dirt?”

“Want to see, Shizuri-san?” Amelia scooted aside from where she crouched down so that Shizuri could get a good look at her drawings.

“You can't prove it!” Lina screeched.

“Sure we can,” Shizuri replied and stepped over to the potential groom in question. “Gourry, wake up!” She shook his shoulder until he blinked sleepy eyes at her. “What question did you ask Lina before we started the battle yesterday?”

Lina relaxed. _I'll bet five gold that he doesn't remember…_

“Huh? Oh. I don't remember.”

_Thank you, jellyfish brains!_ Lina's grin went from cheek to cheek.

“Oh. Damn. I was hoping you asked her to marry you or something like that.”

“We are getting married.” He gave a great yawn. “Was that the question? I didn't ask it as a question. I just said that if we survived, let's get married. She said yes.”

Shizuri's eyes lit up. “Thank you! You can go back to sleep now.”

“Not before I kill you!”

“Who won the bet?” Lyos approached Amelia as the princess yanked out the chart and a sack of coins from her cloak. They bent over it as Lina proceeded to strangle Gourry.

Zelgadiss frowned over it, then his head snapped up. “Amelia?”

Amelia studied it as well. Her face lit up with surprise and pleasure. “Are you sure…”

“I picked them myself,” he told her.

Amelia took the sack of coins and did the most dangerous thing in her life. She stepped between Lina and Gourry. “Here you go, Gourry-san,” she said cheerfully, thumping the sack into Gourry's hand.

His brow furrowed. “What's this?”

“Told ya he'd forget,” Lyos muttered.

“We had a bet on when you would propose to Lina-san,” Amelia reminded him. “You won!”

“I did?” Gourry's face lit up. “Wow, I haven't had this much money since before I met Lina!”

Lina eyed the bulging sack. “On second thoughts…” She grabbed the sack. “I think we can make this marriage thing work.”

“Lina!” he whined. “That's my money!”

Lina waved her index finger at him. “That's not how it works in a marriage! Your money is mine, remember?”

Gourry narrowed his eyes at her. “Doesn't that mean that your money is also mine?”

“No, no! It doesn't work that way! Your money is mine. My money is mine. Therefore our money is mine.”

Filia laughed as they proceeded to bicker over the lottery winnings. “So, are we up for them actually making it to the altar?” she asked Shizuri.

“Nah, they'll make it eventually. Now, as to when he'll managed to get her knocked up…”

Zelgadiss sighed. “Just please, give me enough time to get to a place of relative safety before that happens. How far away is Kunan again?'

“That may not be far enough,” Shizuri replied and Zelgadiss sighed again.

From the safety of the Astral plane, Xelloss watched as the group went around their normal activities of causing minor chaos. _At least things are the way they should be_ , he thought before disappearing to let his mistress know what happened.

——-

_Two Weeks Later:_ _Kaatart Mountains, Dragon's Peak_

On her previous visit, Lina hadn't had the chance to really take a good look at the site where the gateway to the Claire Bible once stood. As the sun sank into the mountains behind her, Lina stared at the ruins and remembered everything. She recalled obtaining the information that she'd always sought, then Martina trying to interfere. Then Gaav attacking them, the fight against Seigram, then the final fight with Gaav. Phibrizzo had revealed himself and kidnapped Gourry.

She picked up a fallen piece of archway and bowed her head. She could see it now, what had happened after she cast the Giga Slave. Something about Darkstar opening the gate into the Sea of Chaos had caused her memories to finally come back and she knew Gourry had his back as well. She had wanted to yell at him for being so foolish as to actually force himself into the Sea of Chaos to save her. She wanted to thank him for loving her enough to save her. She closed her eyes and her heart ached as she relived the sight of him, hunched over and looking so alone, so desolate that she wanted to cry.

She felt a hand on her arm and she reached back, placed her other hand over his. _Speaking of the devil…_ “Hey there.”

“Hey. Milgazia-san said dinner's about ready. He insisted there's enough to feed us this time.”

“He better!” Lina snorted, then flashed a grin at Gourry. “What type of temple are they if they can't fix enough food to feed a small army?” She linked arms with him and they stared at what remained of the Claire Bible. “I just wanted to come back and see this place. It's funny. See those red marks over there? That's Amelia's blood, from when she was slammed into the cliff. It's still there.”

“You don't have nightmares anymore,” Gourry observed and she blinked at him in surprise. She furrowed her brow and thought about the last time she'd had the dreams. They'd grown less and less over the past few months, but she honestly didn't think she'd had a single one since they started sleeping together.

_And speaking of that…_

“Hey, I've been thinking,” she said in a brusque voice. “Amelia's been talking about a big wedding.”

“Mmm…” Gourry made a non-committal sound that confirmed her suspicions that he hadn't been listening to that aspect of the group conversations at all.

“I was wondering… You mind if we don't get married right away? It's not that I don't want to be married,” she said hastily when she noticed the look of fear that sprang into his eyes. “I mean, I suppose I could do worse in life than a jellyfish. I could be marrying Prince Phil of all people.” Lina shuddered at the thought of Amelia's father, whom she and others had once imagined to be a handsome prince on a white steed.

“Getting married doesn't mean that we have to settle down,” Gourry pointed out.

Lina relaxed slightly. That had been her biggest concern and he had nailed it without her even mentioning it. “No, it doesn't. If you suddenly want a woman in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant just because she says `I do,' then go ask Sylphiel to marry you.”

His brow wrinkled. “Why would a woman be barefoot in the kitchen? You could drop a glass or a knife. And don't women go in a kitchen without being pregnant?”

Lina rolled her eyes and gave his arm a shake. “Never mind, never mind.”

“I don't think being married means we have to stop being who we are.” Gourry smiled and looked at the view that spread before them. “When I was little, I asked my mother and grandmother why people get married. I remember my dad before he died and he seemed to love my mom a lot. Grandma said it was so they could share last names. Mom said it wasn't necessary to share names. I figured when I got older it was so people could have sex, but then people do it without being married.”

_Please meet exhibits A and B,_ Lina thought wryly. “So did they ever tell you?”

“Not really,” he said with a laugh. “I don't think I remember what they finally told me.”

She gave him a playful sock on the arm. “Your point, Jellyfish?”

“Well, I kept thinking about it and I figured that a marriage is a promise. When it's done right, it comes from two people loving each other and wanting to be with each other for the rest of their lives. So they make a promise in front of other people to do so, then have a really big party to share that decision.”

“It doesn't always work. There's marriages for political gain, marriages just to give an otherwise illegitimate child a name, hell remember we almost married me off to that Hallas guy just to prevent him from being married to someone else! There's fake marriages, marriage just to gain citizenship,” Lina ticked off, then glowered at the crushed look Gourry gave her. “What? Come down to reality, Gourry! Not all love is idealistic or a fairy tale.”

“I said when it was done _right_ ,” he said in a tight voice that warned her they were dangerously close to fighting.

She didn't listen.

“It just seems to be a big unnecessary spectacle, you know? Yeah I thought I wanted a huge wedding, but then I realized how much work it is. And do you know how hot it is in one of those dresses? Until that thing was torn in tatters, I was miserable! In the end, does it really accomplish anything?” Lina startled when she felt the sudden loss of contact as Gourry removed his arm from hers. She shook her head slightly and watched, confused as he strode down the mountain. “What's eating you?”

“Nothing,” he said shortly and kept walking.

Lina shrugged and followed.

——-

Filia slowly turned around in the small building that Milgazia had escorted her to. She hadn't been quite sure what she was suppose to do once the group had arrived at the Kataart Mountains, but the Golden Dragon elder had quickly pulled her aside and escorted her to this place, then told her what it was for. She stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, the empty counter and shelves and the dusty floor. “Are you sure about this, Milgazia-san? Do you really want me to run a shop?”

He gave her a benign smile. “Your duties as a priestess can be fulfilled in many ways. You've been in service to the gods for years, Filia. The temple elders encourage those with particular gifts and abilities to engage in them to the fullest of your capabilities. I believe that your services will be better provided to our temple by cultivating and selling tea rather than spending hours on your knees in prayer.”

FIlia flushed and was at a considerable loss of words for a moment. “I don't know how I can thank you,” she finally managed.

Milgazia lifted an eyebrow. “There are those who say we should thank you for your participation in fulfilling the prophecy. The temple has also assumed the debt from the Fiarelord temple and will pay Lina Inverse and her group the money they are due. We will also compensate your expenses for the trip.”

“You don't need to do that,” Filia said and gave him a wry grin. “Especially after I tell you how much food Lina-san and Gourry-san can go through in a meal.”

“Why do you think I gave you a store instead of gold?”

Filia laughed, then quickly sobered. “You said that you assumed the debts of the Flarelord temple. Does that mean that the Aqualord temple is taking control of the entire temple?”

“For now.” Milgazia sat at the table in the center of the room and steepled his hands. Filia took the chair opposite his. “There is a dominance that must be maintained in the world. You know the four dragons govern different areas of the world.”

“Yes,” Filia replied. “Aqualord to the north, Flarelord to the south, Airlord to the west and Earthlord to the east. I know of the followers of Aqualord, Flarelord and Airlord, but I've not heard much at all of Earthlord.”

“There was a rumor that he was involved in a huge fight involving a dog demon, a _youkai_ as it was termed, about two centuries ago. During the fight, Earthlord was sealed. I'm not sure of the truth behind it, but Earthlord's followers have dwindled in the past few centuries. In any case, you are aware that even though Airlord is the dominant god in the west, there is a major temple to Aqualord.”

Filia nodded. “Run by humans, it's Shizuri-san's temple.”

“It was founded by the human worshippers of Aqualord who were stranded beyond the barrier. There are few human followers of Flarelord and technically you are the last of the Golden Dragons that serve him.” Milgazia gave her a serious look. “The temple considers you to be one of us, but the elders have expressed a desire that when you have matured that you may consider restarting the temple to the south.”

Filia stared down at her folded hands. “It's something that will be a long time in the future, Milgazia-san. I don't think I have the heart to be the successor to my elder. Not right now.”

“It may come. But we can not allow Flarelord to continue without worshippers. Some feel that is the reason why Earthlord went out of control in the eastern lands. Dragons were killed off and humans forgot the ways of the dragon gods. We do not want this to happen in the southern lands.”

“Of course not.” A sudden chill ran through Filia's body and she shivered slightly. She wouldn't want to risk the wrath of a scorned god.

——-

“Come in.”

Shizuri pushed open the slightly ajar door to Lyos's room. The young Knight of Aqualord was across the room, hands gripped tightly on the edge of the washstand. She closed the door behind her, leaned against it while she observed him. Dinner that night had been a bit unusual. Filia had been in an excited rush, telling them about the shop she was going to run. That news had led into Amelia announcing her return to Saillune in the morning and extended an invitation to the rest of the group to come.

But it left the two of them with a problem. Zasu had released Shizuri from her duties with the express wish that she and Lyos learn more about Aqualord in these lands. Even though he would excuse their recent mission to help save the world from Darkstar, she knew that he would disapprove of their going to Saillune - especially for the reason that Lyos wanted to go.

“It's your decision to make,” she said.

“I know.”

“You can't have it both ways.”

“I know, I know.” Lyos flung himself on his bed and stared at the ceiling. “Damn it all. Why did the princess have to announce that she's leaving tomorrow?”

“Because she's been away for close to two years now,” Shizuri replied, sitting on the plush chair next to the bed. “The kingdom already has one wandering princess. Our princess needs to fulfill her duties to the kingdom.”

Lyos lifted his head just enough so he could see her. “So…what do you think? Should we stay or take the princess up on her offer to accompany her to Saillune?”

“To be honest? As much as I would get a kick out of seeing you moon over that cute shrine maiden, your place is here learning about Aqualord. You can always visit Saillune. We kind of have to in a way, to ensure good relationships between it and Titou and all of that lovely political stuff that I'm sure you have no interest in. But your primary job here is to study the power of Aqualord and this is the chief temple for it. The dragons will be able to help you harness your power.” Shizuri reclined back slightly. “Of course, you know this already.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lyos sighed and couldn't help but want to see Sylphiel again. He squirmed uncomfortably, then thought back to the vow he made Lina during the final battle with Hureika. _I need to search for my own power. I'm no use to anyone if I don't have it._

“Zasu-sama will be pleased to hear of our studies,” Shizuri said, then winked at him. “I'm sure that with his next letter that he would approve of us to go serve as temporary ambassadors to Saillune.”

Lyos pushed himself onto his elbows. “Really?”

Shizuri nodded. “The princess will take my letter with her and we estimate that it'll take two months for it to get to Zasu-sama. I'm sure he will have to consider it among his other duties, then send us a reply. So I estimate at least half a year. I'd feel more comfortable with us being here longer, but you do learn fast. Let's see where you are in six months. Consider the Saillune trip your reward.”

“Thanks!” Lyos beamed at her and Shizuri returned the grin.

——-

Amelia took a deep breath of late summer air. Things had happened so fast that she'd been amazed that it was almost fall. It was nearly harvest time in Saillune, one of her favorite times of year. She could easily find something good about every season, but harvest was definitely one of her absolute favorites.

She cast a glance over her shoulder at the mountain behind her. She had left alone a few hours earlier, surprised that nobody was coming with her. Filia, Shizuri and Lyos were all staying behind to enter various areas of study at the temple and Amelia vowed to visit sometime around the winter solstice. She hadn't seen Zelgadiss before she left and that disappointed her. The biggest surprise was that Lina and Gourry hadn't accompanied her either. Even though they seemed to be acting normal, there was a strange tension between them that neither wanted to discuss. Amelia extracted a promise of a lot of free food if they came to visit her and they vowed to come soon.

“Amelia!”

She glanced skyward, her mouth forming a “O” as Zelgadiss flew gracefully toward her. He landed with a soft thud and took a deep breath. “You left a bit sooner than I planned,” he said.

Amelia shook her head, then smiled as her heart lightened. “I couldn't sleep, so I figured that there was no time like the present! Did you Raywing here?”

“Only from the base of the mountain. Filia brought me that far.” Zelgadiss brushed the dirt from his cloak and started down the road. Amelia quickly fell into step beside him. “I wound up falling asleep in one of the libraries.”

“Did you find anything interesting?”

He shook his head. “Nothing but a headache and the fact that I was wrong about the theory of flying I had with Filia,” he admitted. “We should had flown more north than up, where the circumference of the planet is narrower instead of growing wider. Live and learn, I suppose. There's also some books written in an older language I want to ask Milgazia about.”

“You could had stayed behind and entered temple studies as well.”

Zelgadiss fell silent for a moment. “Well,” he said, “I can return to do that. But I've not been in Saillune since the incident with your father and Seigram and I think I can also use some time in the libraries there.”

“Are you sure that's what you want to do?”

Zelgadiss gave Amelia a small smile and felt a flush creeping into his cheeks as her face also went a slight shade of pink. “I've learned that my studies go a lot faster when I have help. If you have the time?”

“Of course I will!” Energized, Amelia nearly started skipping. “We'll even plan a schedule! Then, maybe you would like to come back here with me during the winter solstice to see Filia-san and the others!”

Zelgadiss considered it. Could he see himself in Saillune three months from now? He thought about it, then suddenly realized that he could. “It wouldn't be so bad to look into having a place to come back to occasionally,” he conceded. Then he frowned. “Did you see Lina and Gourry before you left?”

Amelia shook her head. “It's funny too. I heard Filia-san say something to Memphis-san about how she heard that they didn't even share a room last night. I wonder if they're fighting over something? They seemed fine until they went for that walk yesterday afternoon.”

“They'll work it out when they'll work it out.” Zelgadiss had a small inkling about what they were fighting over, but decided that it was better not to discuss it with Amelia at the moment. Gourry was patient and Lina was stubborn. They would work things out in their own time. It was best to proceed with his own life until they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the biggest argument that can be made now is the final battle. It was a struggle that involved rewatching the last few episodes of TRY and writing detailed summaries. We walk away from Valgaav not knowing as much about him as we did from the original series. The more I wrote, the more it didn't have a place in here and it felt forced. The original TRY was Filia and Valgaav's story more than anything. "Search for the Darkstar" is Lina's story - much like the last arc of the novels and Knight of Aqualord was, with a high secondary emphasis placed on the new supporting characters (Luke and Millina in the novels and Lyos in Knight of Aqualord) as well as the Lina/Gourry partnership/relationship. QP-Diana is actually translating parts of the later novels now and when you compare Gourry's role in those (he's a rather talkative jellyfish) to TRY, it's like night and day.
> 
> One note about the gang emerging from the Astral plane. In the fourth novel, Lina and Gourry are having lunch when they're suddenly trapped in an alternate universe of sorts and have to literally fight their lunch. The battle ended when Gourry defeated the mutated tomato (aka the item that didn't belong) and everything returned to the way it was. I applied the same theory here, because it appeared that they were on the Astral plane.


	28. Promises

_Four weeks later: Kingdom of Saillune_

It was strangely quiet.

Lina drummed her fork against her glass as she stared out the window at the busy street. For the first time in several years, she had no discernible goal and it was slightly disturbing. The last time she'd been without an end purpose in sight had been before she and Gourry met Hureika for the first time. Even in the months after defeating Hureika and Rikufalso, they had traveled knowing that they would be returning to Saillune with Amelia. Then, as soon as they arrived, they'd fallen into the whole mess with Darkstar.

Of course, there _was_ stuff to do. It was just a matter of her deciding to actually do it. Shizuri and Lyos had remained with Filia in the Kataart Mountains. When the time came, she had agreed to escort the two back to Atlas City so they could return to Kunan. Amelia and Zelgadiss were in Saillune City and she and Gourry weren't that far from the capital - a day's walk, two if they decided to take it slow.

The last letter she received from Luna had given her specific orders to come home for a nice, long visit sometime in the next year where they would discuss “important matters.” Lina had a sneaky feeling that some of those “matters” included her relationship with a certain jellyfish scarfing down two roast beef sandwiches across from her.

That relationship was currently driving her up the wall and she knew it had everything to do with the conversation they had at Dragon's Peak a month earlier. Since then, they acted well…it felt like they regressed. They did the same thing that they always did before they traveled to Kunan. They raided bandit camps, took on mercenary jobs, talked about inane things and battled each other over food. But they never touched each other beyond what was absolutely necessary and they no longer shared a bed.

And neither of them wanted to talk about it.

Lina had learned over the years that behind the cheerful facade, Gourry could be just as stubborn as she, and that was causing the entire issue. Usually their fights lasted no longer than a couple hours - mainly because he forgot what they were fighting over. The exception had been their fight over Luna's interpretation of the prophecy and Lina seeking help for it and she realized that this fight was on that caliber.

But it was clear that he hadn't forgotten this time. She had hoped he'd gotten over whatever it was during one particular job that involved the recovery of a stolen jewelry box. They'd had a moment where they'd bonded over the actual box itself, despite the chaos it had taken to obtain it. It'd been the only kiss they shared since before the final battle and it would had turned into something more if the obnoxious twit who'd hired them hadn't stormed in. The guy never understood why he got on the wrong end of one of Lina's fireballs.

She had hoped that things would return to the way that they'd always been, and to casual strangers it did seem that way. But she knew something was wrong and things wouldn't be quite back to the way they were until it was righted.

“Are we going to see Zel and Amelia?” Gourry asked around a mouthful of bread.

“Might as well. See if those two have had some sense knocked into them yet.” Lina helped herself to the last roll in the basket. “Of course, knowing Zel, about the only way he'd act on any sort of feelings is to have an entire shelf of books knocked down on top him. Would you stop that,” she hissed when Gourry simply replied with a pointed look. “Those two have nothing to do with the snit that you've been in for the past month.”

Gourry squinted. “You're the one not willing to talk about it.”

“That's because there's nothing to talk about!” Already annoyed because she'd been mulling over the situation to begin with, Lina tossed down several coins on the table and stormed out. Gourry glanced at the coins and quickly grabbed three of them before rushing after her. Once Lina realized she'd severely overpaid for their meal, she'd be even more upset and could take down half the town.

Lina stormed down the road heading the opposite direction from Saillune City. They weren't going to see Zel and Amelia, not if they had anything to do about it. They would realize that something was wrong and force her to confront it. Well, she wasn't ready to confront it, whatever it was.

Before she could get very far, she found her arm jerked back. She whirled around, ready to deliver a roundhouse punch to whoever stopped her and found three gold coins being pressed into her palm. She glanced at the coins, then at Gourry, confused.

“You overpaid,” he said, and the anger melted from his eyes. “Can we talk now? Please?”

With a grunt, Lina shoved the money in her sack. “You were the one who pitched the fit on Dragon's Peak.”

“Do you even know why I was upset then?” he asked her quietly.

“Of course not! I was telling you how marriages can be just for show and be fake and all that crap and suddenly you walked away from me! I know you're a jellyfish, but you're not that dense.”

“No,” he admitted quietly, “I'm not.”

“Then what's the big deal? I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but a wedding isn't the be-all-to-end-all between two people! I don't see why we're even arguing over this!” Lina kicked at a rock and turned so she wouldn't have to face him. “I don't see the point as to why you're getting so upset. You're sticking with me, right? Protect me for the rest of my life and all the other stuff you've said for the past few years.”

Something started to loosen inside of Gourry's chest that he didn't even realize had been tightened. He grinned. “Yeah, I'm your protector.”

Lina rolled her eyes. “You stopped being my protector a long time ago.”

“But what about you? What are your plans?”

“Huh?” She gave him a confused look. “What about me? Like I can shake you with a stick. Sorry, pal. Wherever you go, I'm headed that way too.”

When he suddenly pulled her to him, when his arms tightened around her like a vice, everything started to fall into place and her eyes went wide with realization.

“ _I figured that a marriage is a promise. When it's done right, it comes from two people loving each other and wanting to be with each other for the rest of their lives.”_

And that is where the problem lay. There was no question that they were going to spend the rest of their lives with each other. It just seemed like the right thing to do. She could see herself being 80 years old and hitting the road with Gourry by her side.

_Have you told him this in so many words?_

Shut up, Lina told herself as she thought back over the past few months. No, she conceded, she really hadn't. She'd shown him that she needed him, but not that she wanted to stay with him. She used to never believe it when he made a statement about the permanence of their relationship. She buried her head into his chest and muttered the phrase that she'd only told him once before, about a year earlier.

The breath that he didn't even realize he'd been holding whooshed out. “Really?”

“Idiot,” she muttered, then looked up at him, face about as red as her hair. She actually kind of hoped that he didn't hear her. “If I didn't, would I really put up with you? I know how to ditch people always tailing me. Just ask that idiot Naga.”

“Who?”

Lina scowled. “Forget I mentioned her.”

Her reward was another blank stare. “Who?”

“Good boy!” Lina grinned and started to become aware of the fact that they were embracing in public. She quickly pushed him away and glared at some gawking shopkeepers. She held up a hand and started chanting a spell. The shopkeepers immediately hurried back to what they were doing. Lina started down the road again and Gourry quickly fell into step.

“So, what'll we do now?” he asked, noticing they were heading toward Saillune.

Lina didn't say anything for a moment. Then she shot a mischievous smile at him. “Wanna plan a wedding?”

——-

_Two Weeks Later:_ _Dragon's Peak, Kataart Mountains_

“Happy birthday!”

Lina quirked an eyebrow at Gourry when the last thing she expected for him to say came out of his mouth. “Happy birthday?”

His brow wrinkled with confusion. “It's your birthday, right?”

“Yeah… Something tells me that you didn't remember this on your own.”

Gourry had the grace to look a bit sheepish. “Yeah, Amelia reminded me this morning. She's been doing a good job about saying something every day about it. Are you ready?”

Lina turned around from the tall mirror that Filia had lent her to see her partner standing in the door to the room they were to share that night. Her gaze skimmed his figure. She rarely saw him out of the blue clothing and black armor that he normally wore, except when they went undercover. The simple white linen shirt matched with grey trousers suited him well and she was surprised that Zelgadiss had been the one to come up with the outfit.

“Almost.” Lina turned back to the mirror once more and found a different person staring out at her. She'd put her foot down at wearing a fancy white dress thanks to bad memories of Mazoku attacks. It had taken a small battle with Amelia before deciding on a simple set of cream-colored dress robes with leggings beneath. Just in case. Her hair hung loose and she wore no makeup or jewelry beyond her earrings. She felt a bit naked without her tailsmans, but they were being held by Zelgadiss. Again, just in case. So, she was being a bit paranoid. Better safe than sorry.

They walked out of the room together. “Nervous?” she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

“Nope!” He looked as peaceful and saited as if he'd eaten a five-course meal.

_Damn it._ Lina fought the urge to press a hand to her stomach. Yes, she'd come to terms with this, but she still felt nervous. After all, she was turning 20 and getting married in the same day. She was entitled to be nervous! Surely there was something written down to that effect.

Still, she was going through with this. Not only was she not backing out on her promise to go through with it, but she honestly wanted to. When she finally agreed not to put it off any longer, it didn't sound so bad. Once Amelia had gotten ahold of their plans, there'd been no stopping them. They had settled on Lina's birthday, more for Gourry's sake than anything. It ensured them that he would at least remember their wedding day, therefore not forget her birthday.

The closer it got to the wedding, the more things that Lina found positive about it. For one thing, there were the presents. As news trickled from Saillune, gifts in the form of cash, magical artifacts and rare spellbooks had come for the couple. No household equipment had arrived, thankfully, with the exception of a particular device that was said to make toasting bread easier. It disappeared the day after it arrived and Amelia commented that she saw it in Zelgadiss's room at one point. They never asked.

They had decided on Dragon's Peak after Lina vetoed the royal palace. It enabled them to include all of their friends except for Sylphiel, who had been traveling with her uncle and wouldn't be reachable for another few weeks. It was a significant place to all of them and the might of the Golden Dragons would keep them protected from any unwanted Mazoku. Milgazia had agreed to conduct the ceremony with Amelia and Zelgadiss as official witnesses. They had all been pleased about that. They hadn't been pleased when Lina came up with the brilliant idea of selling tickets to the wedding. Zelgadiss reminded Lina that the wedding would involve a very public kiss. That quickly squashed that idea.

A small group waited for them by the shrine that had once led to the Claire Bible, dressed in good, but not fancy clothes. Shizuri was giving them a knowing smile while Lyos fidgeted in his new shirt and pants. Milgazia and Zelgadiss stood next to them, both of them looking stern and formal. Amelia and Filia were beside them, both teary-eyed.

“You know, Sylphiel-san's going to be mad that she missed this,” Filia commented as they reached them.

“Yeah, and so's my mother. They'll get over it. Or they get together, form a little conspiracy and enact some form of revenge on us.” Lina nodded to Milgazia. “Thank you for doing this for us.”

“You just want to do this before you get cold feet,” Zelgadiss commented and Lina responded by grinding her heeled boot into the best man's shoe. When he didn't wince, she muttered something about stupid chimera feet beneath her breath and went to stand next to the maid of honor, who'd been crying for several minutes.

“I can't believe this is actually happening,” Amelia sobbed and threw her arms around Lina for at least the 42nd time that day. “You look so pretty! I don't see why you couldn't had married at the royal palace,” she lamented once more.

“Well, you can't beat the view,” Lyos said, looking over the side of the mountain. “Didn't get much of a chance to admire this before and we've been too busy to visit up here.”

“Let's just get this over with,” Lina said briskly as Amelia handed her a bouquet of flowers that they'd brought with them from Saillune. Her gaze swept over the the majestic view that spread before them. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced over it at Gourry.

He smiled at her. “It'll be all right.”

Most of the nerves eased. “Yeah,” she said and for the first time felt at ease. He took her hand and they faced Milgazia, their friends falling into place around them. Amelia sniffed loudly.

Milgazia smiled. “Now, if you're ready to begin…”

“Ah, just a moment?”

Lina whirled around, saw Luna standing a few feet away with Xelloss next to her. “Sis!” she gulped.

“Mama and Papa send their love,” she said. “And me with the orders to stand in. Seems that my Mazoku friend was only willing to teleport one person up here.”

“Of course, Luna-san holding a butcher knife to my throat and saying that if I don't get her here in time to witness the wedding of her only sister that I would be shredded into a thousand pieces of ribbon doesn't have anything at all to do with it,” Xelloss said.

Lina smirked. _Nice to know that Xelloss is actually afraid of someone. I'll need to put that in the reference file._

Luna strode up to the group and pinned Gourry with a steely glare. “Same threat goes for you if you hurt her. Of course, it'll be a thousand times more painful.”

He gulped, then nodded quickly.

“Okay, now you may begin,” Luna said cheerfully.

“If you'll excuse me.” Xelloss gave the group a formal bow, then disappeared into the safety of the Astral plane.

“Xelloss-san?” Amelia questioned, her mouth set in a slight frown. “Why aren't you staying for the wedding?”

“My dear Amelia-san. I'm afraid that all of the positive emotions resulting from this ceremony is really bad for my diet. Perhaps another time?”

Filia's eyes narrowed. “I'd like to give you something else for your diet, you filthy piece of Mazoku trash.” She brushed her skirts and the handle of the mace secured beneath it.

Xelloss faded back into view in front of Filia. “Ah, your anger and wrath is always such a treat to enjoy, Filia-san. I'm relieved to know that time has and will not mellow your feelings toward me any.” He brushed a kiss to Filia's cheek and smirked when she shrieked with rage. “See? That's better than Saillune's soft-serve ice cream.”

“You wretch! I'm going to kill you!”

“Filia!” Shizuri lunged forward and caught Filia by the waist as Xelloss disappeared, his laughter echoing among the group.

Luna sighed and massaged her temples. “Right.” She gave Milgazia a firm look. “Go ahead with the ceremony before my sister decides to bolt, Milgazia.”

“I am not bolting!” Lina hissed, then glared at Gourry when he took her arm in such a firm grip that it was almost painful. “Don't you believe her!”

“Lina…”

“I am not bolting! I swear it! I want you to get that thought out of your jellyfish brain right this instant before I knock it out for you!”

“Your track record when it comes to this sort of thing isn't exactly the best, Lina,” Zelgadiss pointed out.

“At least I'm actually _at_ the altar, unlike some people I know!”

“Dear family and friends,” Milgazia began as Lina proceeded to bicker with Zelgadiss over his own lack of emotion toward people. It didn't help that Lyos threw in a snide remark and Lina proceeded to start in on him.

After a moment, Gourry suddenly nudged Lina and she glared at him. “Let me go so I can kick some sense into them both!”

“In a minute, Lina. Just answer Milgazia-san, please?”

“Answer? Huh?” Lina glanced at Gourry, then at Milgazia, then remembered the reason she was there to begin with, then marveled at the fact that for once Gourry was actually paying more attention to what was going on than she was. “Oh. Right. I do.”

Amelia promptly burst into tears. “Isn't it beautiful?” she sobbed as Milgazia continued and they exchanged rings.

Filia gave her a kind smile. “I'm sure it'll be you and Zelgadiss-san soon enough,” she whispered.

Amelia went scarlet. “But…but Filia-san! It's just… It's not like…”

Shizuri grinned a little evilly. “I see we have a chance to do a little bit of matchmaking with our princess and the chimera.”

“It's not like that, Shizuri-san!” Amelia said a little too loudly, causing Zelgadiss to blush and for Milgazia to raise his voice again.

Lina quickly slanted Amelia a look as Milgazia droned on about fidelity, sickness, health, things that she already knew. “Payback's a bitch, isn't it, Amelia?” she murmured just loud enough for the princess to hear.

“That's not nice, Lina-san! How can you say such a thing at your own wedding?”

“Calm down, Amelia-san!” Filia tried to sooth her.

“Yeah, you have to forgive Lina for her lack of manners,” Lyos grunted. “It's like she grew up in a barn.”

“I did _not_ grow up in a barn!”

“You act like it!”

Lina's eyes narrowed at him and Lyos quickly darted back to safety. Forgetting where she was at the moment, she took two steps toward him, ready to introduce him to the broadside of a fireball. She felt a strong tug on her arm and whirled around to face Gourry. “Let me go for two seconds. Just long enough to add Lyos to the debris over there.”

What she got instead was a kiss. A quite passionate one at that. As his lips brushed hers, she suddenly forgot why she'd been annoyed and who she needed to administer bodily harm to in the next few minutes. She felt the grip on her arm drop and instead of fighting back, she looped her arms around his neck and put the energy she'd been saving for her spells into the kiss. It was warm, thrilling and felt absolutely right. For a moment, it seemed like perhaps they were the only two people in the world.

When they broke apart, they stared at each other, a little stunned. “I take it this means we did it,” Lina managed after a moment.

Gourry grinned. “Despite your best effort to avoid it.”

Lina jabbed her finger into his chest. “Hey, pal! I had no problems going through this ceremony whatsoever!”

“Sure you didn't,” he replied in a placating voice and patted her arm. “At least you forgot that we were kissing in front of everyone.”

Her cheeks went scarlet and he laughed. “It's not like it's the first time, you know.”

“It's not like I prefer it that way either! Besides, that kiss when I was caught up in that flashback? Totally doesn't count!”

Zelgadiss pulled out a pocket watch. “Married for approximately 90 seconds and they're already having their first argument.”

“Wow, I was only giving Lina about 30,” Lyos muttered and handed Zelgadiss several gold coins.

“Now you see why I was able to stick around?” Xelloss faded back into view next to Luna as the wedding party bickered, laughed and cried.

Luna slanted a look at him. “As I seem to recall, this particular bout of chaos was your fault.”

Xelloss stretched and folded his arms behind his head. “Ah, but somehow this seems to suit them rather than some formal, sentimental ceremony, don't you think?”

Luna considered it as Lina responded to a comment from Lyos by torching him with a fireball. As the slightly scorched Knight of Aqualord ran screaming in a circle, Luna nodded to Xelloss. “I concede this point to you,” she said, then smiled as Milgazia announced that a buffet had been set up. Lina and Gourry both cried out in triumph and raced toward the food, their friends on their heels yelling at the couple not to devour it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm immensely grateful to everyone who has read this story and has provided feedback, both positive and negative. The Slayers fandom is unique in that I have received the most amazing reviews from readers. It contains genuine feedback about the story and there have been at least one review per chapter that sparked a plot idea or reminded me to fill a plot hole in a later chapter. There's been so many wonderful people I've gotten to know through this and really too many to thank individually at the risk of accidentally leaving someone out. So a big, big hug to all y'all and thank you, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.


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